Antihero
by Kammie Celeek
Summary: Izuku found his first real friend when he joined the League of Villains. She went undercover at UA to help the League achieve their goals. Neither of them expected to feel remorse. Neither of them expected to switch sides. Neither of them expected Izuku to fall for Ochaco Uraraka.
1. The Story of How I Died (NO)

I died the day of the slime attack.

At least, that's what it seemed like to everybody else. Izuku Midoriya, royal screw-up and Quirkless bastard, dead. The only person who cared was my mother. Everyone else seemed more shocked that I 'died'. It didn't matter to me. My dream of being a hero had been crushed by the person I looked up to more than anyone else and I was angry. Angry that me not having a Quirk meant I couldn't achieve my dream. I climbed to the roof of a building, determined to end it all.

That was when it happened.

Somebody saved me. Or, they left a false body behind to convince the world I was gone.

I was brought to a place called the League of Villains by a man who told me his name was All For One. I didn't question it. There were other people there, too—Shigaraki, Kurogiri, and a girl my age named Kazumi Hamasaki. All For One offered to let me join them, to reshape society the way I wanted it. He would give me power and the means to do it. In my anger, I agreed and became the newest member of the League of Villains.

I didn't get along well with Kurogiri and Shigaraki. And I rarely saw All For One. Instead, I spent my time getting to know Kazumi. Unlike Shigaraki, whose decaying Quirk was only seen as evil, and Kurogiri, who _looked_ evil, Kazumi had a Quirk that meant her entire body was made up of water. The most noticeable part about it is her hair, which ripples like a river down her back. If not for that, she'd look like a normal person.

Why she joined the League was a mystery.

Unlike me, she could've easily joined the Hero course at UA. I asked her once why she stayed with the League and her response was that she was bored. I knew she was lying but decided not to press it.

Boredom is better than being evil.

Not long after I joined, Shigaraki came up with an idea to infiltrate UA using a mole. At the time, the only members of the League who could pass for high school students were me and Kazumi. Since I didn't have a Quirk, I quickly asked her to take the spot. She agreed.

While at UA's entrance exam, she wore a small camera and a near-invisible earpiece so we could see and hear what was going on. She ended up saving another applicant from one of the robots… and thanks to the camera, I could see the whole thing.

And my heart started beating faster when Kazumi helped the girl up.

The girl Kazumi had saved had brown hair and pink cheeks, with large eyes and a pretty smile as she thanked Kazumi for saving her.

"What's her name?" I asked absentmindedly into Kazumi's earpiece.

_"Ochaco Uraraka. She has some kind of gravity-manipulation Quirk."_

I drew Ochaco into my notebook of UA students that I was going to start keeping. I already had Kacchan (the bastard) in there and I knew that Ochaco would make it into the school too.

During the USJ incident, I stayed out of the field. I warned Shigaraki that it was a stupid plan but he pitched a fit and didn't listen. As a result, I wasn't able to warn Kazumi the attack was coming.

She… er… wasn't happy with me. We didn't speak for a while after that.

But the night before the Sports Festival, we met up at the roof of her building.

"Hamasaki?" I sighed.

"What is it, Deku?"

"Are you really going to be in the Sports Festival?"

"Yeah. Of course. The higher I rank at UA, the less likely it'll be that they suspect me as a mole."

"It's just… Kacchan…"

"Hey. Forget him. He's an asshole."

"He's always been an angry one…"

"I wouldn't say he's angry, actually. He's… more along the lines of a depressed asshole. Like something's bothering him or he's more angry at himself than other people."

"Did you ask him about it?"

"I did. Once. And all he said was 'none of your business, Water Witch'."

"To be fair—"

"I'm gonna stop you right there, dork." She shoved me affectionately.

I guess you could say Kazumi was my first _real_ friend. She never treated me badly, like Kacchan had, and she saw me as an equal, unlike Shigaraki and everyone else.

"We're going to win," I mused. "I've been taking notes on all the classes at UA all semester. With me helping you, there's no way you'll lose… unless you go against Kaminari or Todoroki."

"Yeah, I go against Todoroki, my ass is frozen. Literally."

Being made of water made you more sensitive to low temperatures. And electricity.

"What about Uraraka?" she asked me teasingly.

"W-what?! What about her?!"

"You think she's pretty cute."

"She's… really pretty…"

"Uh-huh. I'm made of water, but it's good to know you're not _thirsty_ for me."

"Kazumi!"

"What? I know you don't wanna ride the wave!"

"I'm leaving now."

"Okay, fine, I'll stop. But seriously, how would it work out between you and Uraraka? You're a member of the League of Villains and she's one of the top first-year students at UA."

"It's just a crush. It's nothing serious. I know it isn't."

"Good. It's just a crush."

"…you don't like—"

"No. Not like that. Just because I go both ways doesn't mean I like her like that. Or you."

"I think we've established that I'm unattractive."

"Aw, no you're not. You're cute. You're the human version of a puppy."

"Thanks, Kazumi."

"Anytime, Deku."

* * *

The Sports Festival was a good time for Kazumi. She ended up placing first in the qualifier thanks to her water ability (riding a wave all the way through the minefield and beating Todoroki by a hair) and her team in the cavalry battle—consisting of Tokoyami, Mei Hatsume, and Uraraka—got through to the main competition. And from there, it was all about watching Uraraka—er, I mean, Kazumi!. She won her first match—against Hitoshi Shinso—with ease.

Uraraka against Kacchan, though? That battle had me biting my nails and screaming at the TV while Shigaraki snapped for me to be quiet before he smashed the thing. Even though Uraraka lost, she proved to be extremely strong and above the level most people believed her to be at. Including herself.

Very narrowly, Kazumi was defeated by Todoroki in the quarter-finals. We'd both known that would've been a rough match-up.

Shortly after that, Stain took out Ingenium and Kazumi and I were reluctant to join forces with him. Mostly because of his Quirk and the way he activated it. Still, I went with Stain because of Kazumi's internship and watched from the shadows as he tried to kill Native, then Tenya Iida. It was after that that Kazumi showed up to help Iida—under Shigaraki's orders, I later learned—and signaled Todoroki, too.

I'd like to say she wasn't hurt because of her Quirk. But that would be a lie. She was hurt, badly. When I saw her again, I begged her to be more careful in the future, and she promised she would try.

Things changed after that.

The League got bigger. Another girl our age joined, but like Stain, she made Kazumi and I uncomfortable. Mostly because she became obsessed with me almost immediately and Kazumi almost sliced the girl's arm off to get her away from me. Even so, Toga (the new girl) and I were both sent to the 1-A training camp to capture Kacchan. I ended up saving Uraraka from Toga and dragging her out of the fight. Nobody but Uraraka saw me then.

And we failed to capture Kacchan.

I didn't—

_What are you doing, Deku?_

Oh, um… just recording something. Not a big deal.

_Ooh, are you recording your story?!_

Yeah.

_You mentioned that I was your first friend, right?_

Of course I did.

_And you're gonna mention you and Uraraka's—_

Kazumi, I will let you know when I'm done recording and you can listen to it, okay? For now, can I just finish?

_Fine. Guess I'll go bug Kacchan. By calling him Kacchan._

Bye.

Okay, she's gone.

Like I was saying, I didn't know it at the time, but Kazumi and I—we weren't destined to be villains. I was destined to be the world's greatest hero. And Kazumi? In the top ten.

So rather than this being a story of us being brought down, this is how I became the world's greatest hero.

* * *

**Like I said in the author's note on chapter four of "Miharu", this is my own personal take on the Villain Deku AU. Originally, I was going to have an 'evil twin' angle and Kazumi was going to be in a relationship with that twin. But then I decided that was stupid and complicated so I just went with her having a super-awesome friendship with Izuku because MY SON IS SUNSHINE PERSONIFIED AND I WILL TORCH ANYBODY WHO TRIES TO HURT HIM.**

** Anyway, this story is going to be somewhat… dramatic.**

** It's a star-crossed romance meets redemption drama meets superhero story.**

** I, er, already have certain scenes written in my head.**

** See you soon!**

** So long and thanks for all the fish!**


	2. Encounters

**Time to do something I haven't done in a while!**

** Reply to comments and thanks for follows, favorites, and Kudos!**

** I would like to note that if I reply to a comment within the author's notes, they will exclusively be from Fanfiction because AO3 has its own reply system and Fanfiction does not. This is a story where I'm going to reply to every comment, whether it be just a thank-you or explaining a question you had.**

** Let's start with the favorites and follows on Fanfiction.**

** For favorites as of writing this note, we have fan reader 88, Xonology, The Keeper of Worlds, Netherbrood, ElephantBoy00, Captain DudeBro, Bread James, and Axlexington.**

** Onto follows we have supersupern0t, memeboi13, fan reader 88 (again), emiya-excalibur, Xonology, Winter Kitsu, Warg98, Vaend, SwagU, SvenTheElephant, Silenthawk170, Netherbrood (again), Kaden265, ElephantBoy00 (again), Conraz101, Captain DudeBro (again), Bread James (again), and Axlexington (again).**

** Next is the Kudos from AO3. We have Pandaman4411, Crisstal, irishfan62, Seniorirish2, Rithik294, Reeves, and 2 guests!**

** Thank you to all that love within the first TWENTY-FOUR HOURS!**

** First for the comments, to emiya-excalibur: I wish I could say that these scenes are wholesome fluffiness, but they aren't. Every scene I've already planned out is going to be dramatic and usually centered on emotional moments. One in particular that I'm not going to spoil.**

** Next, to The Keeper of Worlds: Yes. I wanted to do a twist on the typical 'Villain Deku' AU because all the ones I see are so similar. This is what I do with fandom creations I enjoy—I do my own personal take on it and try to make mine stand out in a sea of those creations. More often than not, I'll add some kind of original character, which is the role Kazumi fills.**

** And finally, to Guest: I'm going to continue this story. However, the first-person narration will not be seen again. I **_**am**_** glad you're enjoying the direction it seems to be going.**

** With that out of the way, let's get going.**

* * *

"Morning, Kazumi!"

Kazumi yawned as Ochaco ran up behind her.

"Long night?"

"Yeah. Hard to believe it's our second year already. Our first one was so eventful!"

"More like terrifying."

_You don't know the half of it._

"Any plans for what you're focusing on this year?"

"Well, I'm thinking—"

"Out of the way, Water Witch and Pink Cheeks."

Bakugo pushed his way past the girls and Kazumi glared at his back as he entered the main school building. Ochaco noticed and cringed.

"You… really don't like Bakugo, do you?"

"He used to bully a close friend of mine constantly, just because he was Quirkless."

"That's a good reason."

"I haven't been all that impressed with his behavior, anyway." The two entered the building and changed their shoes before heading towards their new classroom.

"You were saying about your plans for this year?"

"Right. Well, I'm thinking you, me, and Iida stay teamed up and we take the top spots in the class. Other than that, it's going to be about improving my mobility and figuring out how to counter Todoroki's ice with my Quirk. Because as it stands now, I can't go head-to-head with him without getting my ass frozen."

"To be fair, that's most of our class."

"True."

They sat down at their seats and Aizawa began to take attendance before announcing something they hadn't been expecting.

"So, for this semester, we have come up with a project to help you be better heroes. Those of you who have earned your provisional licenses will be pairing up and doing hero work on the side. For those of you who haven't, you will instead be focusing on your remedial coursework. The pairings have already been selected. It will be up to all of you to grade each other and work together in order for you to pass this assignment.

"For the most part, these pairings will be the same as they were for the final your first semester. The pairings that are different will be Yaoyoruzu paired with Aoyama and Uraraka with Hamasaki. Are there any questions?"

Nobody had any.

"Good. Now, I expect each team to meet at the school gates in their costumes once class is over for the day to receive your assignment area. I'll be waiting."

* * *

"I'm glad I'm not paired with Bakugo like I was for the final," sighed Kazumi. "That would've been a nightmare, though it would've been nice to chop that ego down to size."

"I'm just glad I'm paired with you," Ochaco replied as they walked towards the school gates in their hero costumes. "Maybe we can work out a way for our Quirks to combine in an attack!"

"Like you float me over the enemy, I turn into a puddle in midair, and then I rain down on those suckers!"

"Yeah… maybe…"

Ochaco couldn't help but notice how excited Kazumi was for this assignment.

"Any reason in particular you're excited about this one?"

"Not really. But I do love any chance I get to wear my costume; my friend Deku designed it to maximize how much water I can use without sacrificing modesty."

And it was true. Like Ochaco, Kazumi had a skin-tight costume that was a nice effect of varying shades of blue. However, the fabric was both porous and bound to her Quirk; she was hardly the first person to have a Quirk like she did and she wouldn't be the last, so special fabric was used for it. A blue mask covered her eyes and her waterfall hair had been pulled back into a bun so it wouldn't be in the way, though it still rippled and flowed as if it were down her back.

Benefits of water-hair, Ochaco guessed. That and Kazumi never had to wash it.

"Uraraka. Hamasaki," Aizawa greeted them. "I see you're prepared. Here's your area assignment. Be back by midnight."

"Yes, sir!" Kazumi saluted and they headed towards the area. "This is great, Ochaco!"

"Why?"

"A friend of mine lives in the area. I can ask him to gather information for us to help us out!"

"Isn't that kind of… cheating?"

"Hey. It's only cheating if I make him beat the bad guys and take the credit. He's Quirkless."

"Is he the one who Bakugo made fun of?"

"Yep." She pulled out her phone and tapped a few buttons before holding it out.

_"Hello?"_ said a boy's voice.

"Hey, Deku! It's Kazumi."

_"Oh, hey! Why am I on speaker?"_

"Because I want my partner to hear what you have to say. Anyway, we're on this assignment and I need you to be our eyes and ears during the day while we're at school. Basically, keep notes on villain activity in the area. Think you can handle it?"

_"Kazumi, you know I can."_ There was a shuffling in the background. _"How long do you need me to do this?"_

"For the semester, at least."

_"Got it. Not a problem."_

"Thanks. You're the best."

"Thank you, Deku!" Ochaco added. There was a _thud_ on Deku's end and Kazumi snickered.

"You okay there?"

_"I-I'm f-fine! S-see you later!"_

_Click._

"That was weird. What happened?"

"He fell out of his chair. He's kind of a dorky klutz, but he's a lovable dorky klutz. And not in the 'clumsy is sexy' sort of way; just… he's a nerd and he had a growth spurt recently so he's still getting used to all the extra length in his arms and legs."

"Oh."

"I describe him as… like you took a puppy and made it a human being. That's Deku."

"Well, we'd better get going. We have a lot of ground to cover."

* * *

_Kazumi's partner is Uravity._

That was the thought running through Izuku's mind as he put on his hoodie and backpack. His face burned at the thought of officially meeting the hero-in-training face-to-face. But he was halfway hoping it would happen. Obviously, Kazumi's undercover work had been going well and nobody suspected that she was the leak at UA; otherwise, she probably wouldn't have been put on this kind of assignment.

_I have to meet up with Kazumi and give her my report._

He headed towards the predetermined meeting place and discovered that Kazumi wasn't there yet. Izuku decided to take the opportunity to settle his nerves by doing the deep breathing exercises Kazumi had found to help with his stress and anxiety when she realized he suffered from both. A good friend, Kazumi was. He leaned against the wall, his hood over his head and partially obscuring his face.

Footsteps.

He stood upright in a motion that was a lot cooler than it should've been and saw Kazumi approaching with Ochaco right behind her.

"Hey, Kazumi," he greeted her.

"What's up, Deku? This is my partner, Uravity. And it's Tsunami, here."

"Right, sorry." He reached into his backpack and pulled out the notes he'd compiled for her. "Here's what you asked for."

"Thanks. This should be incredibly useful…"

Kazumi's voice faded into background noise as Izuku made eye contact with Ochaco for the first time.

_Zing._

It was as if electricity spread through his entire body. She was even prettier in person than she was on a screen. His heart pounded so loud that he prayed she couldn't hear it. All he could think about was how much he wanted to kiss her and hold her hand.

"…ku. Hey, Deku, are you listening?!"

Water splashed on his face and he yelped, going into a defensive position.

"Good. You're alive. Like I was saying, we're going to keep meeting you. I'll text you a different location each time so that you don't get followed."

"G-got it."

"Again, _thank you_ for helping us out with this. It's going to make everything so much easier. See you tomorrow." Kazumi turned and began walking away, but Izuku noticed that Ochaco lingered. She kept looking towards him. "Uravity, let's _go_."

"Oh!" The gravity-based hero's cheeks turned an even deeper pink. "Sorry, Tsunami!"

As she scrambled to follow, Izuku tried to make sense of what had just happened.

_There's no way she was looking at me. Not like that. I'm a nerd, a dork, a klutz who falls out of his chair when he hears a pretty girl on the phone! And I'm a member of the League of Villains! No way she was looking at me. She's just suspicious of me because I gathered so much information in such a short amount of time. Yeah, that's it._

* * *

Ochaco, on the other hand, was not suspicious of Izuku—or Deku, as she knew him.

When he'd stood upright and she'd been able to see his face, her immediate thought was _human version of a puppy was accurate. He's so cute._

Fluffy hair poking out from under his hood. Green eyes that held so much knowledge behind them. The freckles on his cheeks. He actually looked kind of familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She'd definitely seen him before.

Then their eyes met and suddenly she couldn't breathe.

His gaze made her feel warm all over despite the chill of early spring. Oh, and she could see what Kazumi had meant by 'growth spurt'. He was obviously unused to his longer limbs and his clothes looked pretty new. Deku seemed to be interested in her for some reason that she couldn't fathom.

_Maybe he saw me during the Sports Festival and he's thinking of how I almost crushed his former bully with a meteor shower?_

She was snapped back to reality by Kazumi reminding her that they had to go and she watched Deku go with a sad look.

_Why do you look familiar?_

Other than that, the night went great. Together, Ochaco and Kazumi stopped a couple of robberies, a few muggings, and even found where a small band of villains had their hideout. Ochaco contacted the pros to take them away while Kazumi tied them up so they were easier to handle.

All in all, not bad.

But Ochaco couldn't get Deku's eyes out of her head.

* * *

Katsuki Bakugo had been hiding a secret for two years.

He was the reason somebody died.

Ever since that day, when he'd seen Deku's broken and mangled body lying on the sidewalk, guilt had consumed him. Not once had Deku ever treated him with anything less than admiration and respect. Not once had he done anything to Bakugo. But what had Bakugo done to return that kindness, that unthinking loyalty?

He'd treated him like garbage. Lower than scum. And… he'd told him to kill himself.

_I never thought he'd actually…_

That feeling. That all-crushing weight on his conscience is what made him so irritable. All he could think of was how he could've saved Deku's life if he hadn't been such an insufferable prick and so ego-driven that he saw Deku's ability to take notes and find weaknesses as stupid and pointless rather than brilliant and useful. So many times since he'd entered UA he'd wondered how to best defeat an enemy and Deku's face had popped into his mind. The nerd would've known.

_I should've been his friend._

What didn't help was that there were students in his class who reminded him of Deku so much. Iida's general nerdiness. Ochaco's unrelenting kindness and optimism. Even the Water Witch's ability to figure out how to get past an obstacle without a Quirk and suss out her opponent's weak point.

That last one scared him. It was as if she was channeling Deku's spirit.

There were times, though, when Bakugo thought he could see Deku out of the corner of his eye. When he turned to look, nobody was there. But he could feel eyes on him. He wished that it _was_ actually Deku he was seeing, so maybe this crushing feeling of guilt would go away. He hated it. He hated the guilt. He never felt like a hero with the weight of what he'd done on his mind and it affected his behavior more noticeably than he thought.

Kazumi had actually confronted him during finals their first semester before their battle against All-Might. It wasn't the first time she'd done it—far from it—but what he'd replied with had been a first.

"Seriously, just tell me what's on your mind."

"Shut up, Water Witch! How about we focus on beating All-Might?!"

"Bakugo, I'm not trying to antagonize you. I'm trying to help your spirit be lighter so we can work together in battle better."

"Like I said, you can shut up—"

"I think I know what the problem is. You feel guilty about something."

Bakugo shut his mouth. She'd hit the nail on the head.

"I'm right, aren't I? And the guilt—it's eating you alive every day. That's why you're depressed."

"Yeah." He bowed his head. "Yeah, you're right."

"What happened?"

He looked to make sure nobody was around, then pulled her into a room that had been set aside for the teams to strategize.

"Listen, what I'm telling you doesn't leave this room. Got it?"

"I completely understand. Yeah. I got it."

"I… somebody died because of me." She blinked, shocked. "It was ten months before the entrance exams. There was this kid in my class in middle school. I'd known him since we were little kids because our moms were friends and he'd followed me around since then. But… once my Quirk showed up when we were in kindergarten, things got bad. I kind of took him for granted and treated him like scum. And… that day, the day he died… I told him—I told him to kill himself!"

Bakugo heard his voice break on the last sentence.

"He did it, too. I was walking home and I saw this crowd of people standing around the edge of a building and when I pushed my way through…"

Deku's broken expression flashed in his mind.

"All I could see was his body, all twisted and shattered. And I knew what he'd done. It took me moments to realize it was my fault because I told him to jump. I told him to jump and pray he'd be born with a Quirk in his next life! It's _my fault_ Izuku Midoriya is dead!"

Kazumi was silent as Bakugo let tears roll down his face.

"Bakugo—"

"You don't need to say it. I should've been more grateful for him while he was alive. Sometimes, it seems like his spirit is talking in your ear, telling you what to do."

"Is that a general 'you' or as in me?"

"As in _you_, specifically. You're so much like him—only using your Quirk sparingly and observing… it's like you're him."

"But I'm not."

"Yeah. You're definitely not, Water Witch."

She sighed.

"Bakugo, let me ask you something—what would Izuku want you to do?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I mean, how would he want you to move forward? Would he want you to keep letting guilt rule your life, or would he want you to try your damnedest to be the hero he knew you could be?"

He opened and closed his mouth.

"He'd… he'd want me to be a hero."

"There you go, then. Let him be your driving force to be better than you were. Even if he's not here to see it."

"You're right. Thanks, Water—I mean, Kazumi."

"You're welcome. Now let's never mention this conversation again to anybody and go ace our practical."

"Hell yeah."

* * *

After that, they'd gone to a rather more… neutral-toned feel with their relationship. More often than not, they ignored each other and went forward in favor of bettering themselves as heroes.

But that didn't mean the guilt of Deku's death had disappeared.

Bakugo tried not to let it crush him like it had before. Instead, he decided to take Kazumi's advice and turn it into his driving force to be better so he would never let anybody else end up like Deku had.

Then came that day.

That day, he was walking back to the dorms after a visit with his family and he saw somebody walking away from the building where Inko Midoriya still lived. They were tall and slightly gangly, wearing a hoodie, red backpack, and jeans with an all-too-familiar pair of red sneakers. Bakugo felt his heart stop for a moment.

"Deku?!" he said, loud enough so the person heard him. They turned and he saw their face.

It was Deku.

Deku was alive.

"Y-you're…"

"Alive?" His voice was slightly deeper than Bakugo remembered. "Yeah. I'm alive."

"But I saw… I saw your body!"

"I can't explain that. I'm here and I'm alive and well."

"How?"

"Again. I can't explain it."

"Does your mother know?" Deku looked away and at the ground.

"No. No she doesn't. Please, let her think I'm dead. She's finally moving forward with her life and I don't want to disrupt that. After all… who needs useless Deku?"

"So, what are you doing now?"

"I have a group I'm involved with. They took me in. I made my first real friend. Maybe you've heard of them." He smirked, pulling out a small switchblade. "They're called the League of Villains."

For the second time, Bakugo's heart stopped.

"Yeah, turns out being able to observe, strategize, and figure out the weaknesses of heroes and villains alike is a pretty good skill to have. Pity I didn't figure it out before, but I know now."

"You're a villain."

"Yep. It's actually better than I'd thought it'd be. I'm one of the higher-ranking members of the League—second-tier, you know."

"How could you?! How could you become a villain?"

Suddenly, Deku slammed Bakugo into the wall.

_He's gotten stronger. What the hell?!_

"How could I become a villain?" The switchblade was at Bakugo's throat. He couldn't bring himself to use his Quirk; he could get in major trouble like Iida, Todoroki, and Kazumi had with Stain.

"The Deku I knew would never side with them!"

"The Deku you knew—Izuku Midoriya—is dead. That's the body you saw on the sidewalk that day. I'm a villain because nobody thought I could be a hero… just because I didn't have a Quirk."

"You're going down one of these days."

"I'd like to see you try."

Deku kneed Bakugo in the gut and let him slump to the ground with the wind knocked out of him. Bakugo watched as Deku shoved the switchblade back into his pocket and let out a humorless chuckle.

"The tables have turned, haven't they… Kacchan?"

_Kacchan._

The nickname echoed in Bakugo's head as Deku walked away.

He never thought he'd hear that name again…

But now he knew just how badly he'd fucked up.

_You're wrong, Deku. I'm going to beat you._

_ And I won't let guilt hold me back anymore._

* * *

**Izuku: Here's the preview! Kazumi and Uravity continue to do their semester-long assignment thanks to my observations.**

** Kazumi: Izuku, I think Ochaco remembers you from the training camp.**

** Izuku: She does?!**

** Kazumi: I mean, you **_**did**_** save her from Toga… not exactly something a girl is liable to forget.**

** Izuku: Well, I hope she didn't recognize me…**

** Kazumi: She did, but she couldn't remember where she saw you.**

** Izuku: Next time—Star-Crossed Memories.**

** Izuku and Kazumi: So long and thanks for all the fish!**


	3. Star-Crossed Memories

**Our new friends this time around!**

** Favorites: MIKE202303, Red the Pokémon Master, Crow's Apprentice, Loki921, SteampunkDragon987, coolguy101172, and pokemansuperallstar.**

** Followers: Red the Pokémon Master, Loki921 (again), coolguy101172 (again), Fox of the Emerald Isle, and pokemansuperallstar (again).**

** Kudos: Dino_Girl93, Baron_Esper, SirManChapGOD, HelloThere24, and 5 new guests! (That makes seven guests so far!)**

** And our first review reply is to emiya-excalibur, once again! You got exactly what I was going for. And to answer Kazumi's question, clearly, the fact that Izuku and Ochaco are your closest friends says that you have a soft spot for dorks who need support.**

** Next is JaiLKnight05. Thank you. I think this story is quite good too.**

** And finally, we have ElephantBoy00. Keep reading and you'll find out where it's going.**

**Side note: Bonus points to whoever spots the musical reference in this chapter. It's subtle, so I'll give you a hint: Percy Jackson.**

** Onto our story!**

* * *

Ochaco took a deep breath as she approached the location Kazumi had picked. Kazumi herself was busily buying some anti-nausea medication for Ochaco, which meant that Ochaco had to meet Deku.

Alone.

_Dammit, Kazumi! I think you planned this!_

She had reached it first this time around, which meant that she now had to wait for Deku. It was dark and the meeting place—as per usual—was in a deserted alleyway lined by fire escapes. Kazumi purposely picked those kinds of places because they weren't frequented by foot traffic, meaning that it was safer to share information.

_Hurry up, Deku. I wanna get out of here…_

Even though it had been a few weeks since she and Kazumi had started getting information from Deku, Ochaco was still a nervous wreck whenever they met up with him. Mostly because he was one of the sweetest guys she'd ever met and he seemed awkward around her, too. They never had a lot of time to chat but from what little they'd had, she'd learned that he and Kazumi had met about ten months before the UA entrance exam and that he thought Ochaco's Quirk was amazing.

She'd still been blushing when she and Kazumi had made it back to the dorms that night.

It still bothered her that she felt like she knew him from somewhere. She just hadn't been able to put her finger on it. Definitely not middle school; she would've remembered that face. Or maybe she'd never seen his face, but she'd remember the fluffy hair at least, wouldn't she?

"Hey, sweetheart."

She whirled around to see a drunken man coming towards her.

_It's only eight o'clock. Either this guy's a bum or he's a lightweight._

"You from UA or you a pro?" She got into a defensive position. "Either way, you're sexy as hell. How about we have some fun?"

"No. I'm not interested."

"Aw, c'mon. It'll be _fast_!"

He moved quickly—he must've had a speed Quirk. Before she had time to react, he had her pinned down and she was struggling against him. Her helmet flew off and clattered somewhere nearby; where, she didn't register. She was too focused on trying to survive.

_Just gotta touch him and—_

The man had her wrists held above her head in a manner that prevented her from putting them together or touching his arm. She tried to use any of the tactics she'd learned from Gunhead to try to escape but none came to mind in that moment.

_Kazumi, where are you?!_

She managed to bring her leg upward enough to hit him where it hurt, but that just made him mad. He released her hands and put his own around her throat, squeezing.

"You like to play dirty, eh, honey?!"

Her vision began to go blurry as her oxygen began to be cut off. Ochaco couldn't breathe. She couldn't move to defend herself.

_"Please…"_ she choked out.

Suddenly, the pressure around her windpipe was gone and she could breathe again. Coughing, she sat up and looked to see Deku punching the guy across the face and slamming him to the ground.

"Hands off, asshole." Deku's tone was darker than she'd ever heard him go as he slammed the guy's head into the pavement once.

Watching him fight somebody off of her triggered something in her memory.

_The training camp. That girl obsessed with blood. Somebody saving me…_

_ Deku._

_ It was Deku!_

Her assaulter didn't move as Deku stood up and pulled back his hood.

"Deku?" Her voice was raspy.

"Uravity!" He rushed over and crouched as he began to check her for injuries. "Oh, God, I'm so sorry! I got caught up with something so I was running late and—dammit, this is my fault!"

"You got here in time. That's what's important." He sighed in relief and sat back on his heels.

"You'll have some bruising on your wrists and your neck, but other than that you'll be fine. Can you stand up?"

"I think so." He stood first and offered her a hand, which she accepted.

The moment their hands touched, she felt something. That warmth from being near him was compounded by an electric feeling that spread through her entire body. His hands were rough but gentle, as if he was afraid she'd break if he wasn't careful. Once she was on her feet and steady, he nodded.

"You should be fine, but I'd still get your neck checked out and find a way to cover up the bruises."

"I'll go see Recovery Girl as soon as I can." She smiled and found her helmet with ease. "Thank you, Deku."

"You're welcome. It was the right thing to do." He reached into his backpack and pulled out the notes. "Here."

"Uravity?!"

Kazumi appeared at the end of the alleyway, a plastic drugstore bag clutched in her hand. She stopped with a confused look.

"Um… what happened here?"

"Deku saved me. Again."

"Again?" Kazumi and Deku said at the same time.

"At the training camp, when that girl obsessed with blood was attacking me, Deku showed up and pulled her off of me. I didn't remember until now, but this makes twice he's saved my life."

Deku turned pink and Kazumi sighed.

"Well, guess that's one guy we have to take in." She reached into the pouch on her belt and restrained the guy, who was out cold. "Jeez, Deku. What the hell did you do to him?"

"I, uh, punched him. And slammed him to the ground. And then I hit his head against the concrete to knock him out."

"Good boy." She nodded. "Ochaco, call somebody to get this guy while I start reading the notes. Deku, we'll see you later.

"Okay," he replied, his emerald gaze going directly to Ochaco. "I'll see you. Bye."

As he left, Ochaco pulled out her phone and dialed the number. But her thoughts were elsewhere.

_Deku's saved my life twice now. How can he be Quirkless when he's obviously meant to be a hero?_

* * *

" 'Just a crush', you said. 'It's nothing serious', you said."

"I know what I said."

Kazumi sighed.

"It's like I told you—how would you and Ochaco work out? You're one of the top members of the League of Villains and she's one of the top students in UA's hero course."

"I can't stop myself, okay?!" Izuku exploded.

The two of them were on the roof of Kazumi's building while UA was on a break after the first semester was over. Because of that they were able to meet up despite her not needing the info drops anymore.

"She's amazing. You're telling me that having feelings for her is wrong. If it's wrong, then I don't want to be right."

"I'm not saying it's wrong. I'm saying think about it logically. It's _fine_ for you to have feelings for her. You just can't _act on them_. That would put the entire League in danger."

"I know it would. But what about her? If Shigaraki finds out…"

"He'd use her to control you."

"Yeah." Deku looked away.

"This is bad."

"This is really bad."

"But on the bright side, our girl asked for your phone number!"

"She did?!"

"Yep. And I handed it over. You're now in her contacts as Human Puppy."

"Why do you do this to me?"

"Simple. Bakugo doesn't know you're alive, does he?"

"He does, actually. I… I ran into him last night after I checked on my mom."

"He didn't take it well."

"I think he was more in shock than anything."

"How _is_ your mom, by the way?"

"She's moving forward. That's all I want for her to do now that she thinks I'm gone."

"You wanna know something, Deku?"

"What is it?"

"I think you're a good kid."

"A good kid?"

"A good son. She was in your corner before I was. Before anybody was. And you still check on her from time to time, even though all you want is to go and be with her again."

"Well, that time ended when All-Might told me I could never be a hero. Just because I don't have a Quirk." He glanced at Kazumi. "What's he like as a teacher, anyway? I don't think I've asked that yet."

"He's loud, has no idea what he's doing, and he tends to overdo things. Just like with his hero work. But he's trying. And he's been out in the field more frequently as of late than most of the other teachers." She shrugged. "Kind of a mixed bag, if you ask me. Seems like something's bothering him, just like with Bakugo."

"Think you could find out?"

"Of course. But that info doesn't go back to the League, got it? It's probably something incredibly personal that wouldn't help us."

"Got it." He fist-bumped her. "Good luck, Kazumi."

"I don't need your rotten luck."

"Ouch."

"See you later."

* * *

Kazumi was relaxing on her bed as the other girls talked while sitting on her floor.

The girls of 2-A had decided to come back to the dorms a day early in order to have a sleepover. Kazumi's room had been chosen as the designated sleepover room because it was the neatest and the most spacious compared to everybody else's. But she was happy to let them in, since as we know, she had nothing to hide.

"Okay, so, I grabbed a few old American movies from my apartment before I left today," stated Kazumi, sitting up. "My dad gave me a few when I was little to help me learn English and I've kind of started stockpiling them myself.

That was true.

"Not to learn English—I'm good enough at that—but because I like them."

"So, which one do you want us to watch?" Ashido inquired.

"I found this one at a shop not too long ago." She held up the movie, which had a black dragon on the cover. "I haven't actually watched it yet because I haven't had time. But apparently it's about a boy who's considered weak by everyone in his village who finds a dragon and changes his whole society? I don't know."

"Good enough," Jiro sighed. "Let's watch it."

All seven of the girls from 1-A paid attention to the screen as the movie played. Well, six of the seven. Ochaco was staring at her phone and tapping away at it; she was still getting used to the upgrade Kazumi had helped her get. But she'd snicker on occasion and look extremely happy. It was kind of distracting, but nobody did anything until the movie was over.

When that happened, Tsuyu grabbed Ochaco's phone.

"Who have you been texting all night?" she asked.

"Nobody!" squeaked Ochaco, her cheeks reddening.

"Ooh, it's a guy!" squealed Ashido. "Spill!"

"I haven't been texting anybody!" Ochaco tried to get to her phone, but Ashido held her back.

"It's some guy named Human Puppy," Tsuyu stated. "And you've been texting him bad puns and awkward flirting remarks."

"Omigod, you _actually_ labelled him Human Puppy in your contacts?" snickered Kazumi. "I didn't think you were serious!"

"Hey! You're the one who described him that way!"

"Because that's the truth."

"Who is this guy?" Ashido wondered, looking excited.

"He's my best friend," Kazumi replied, smirking. "And Ochaco thinks he's super cute."

"Yet you described him as a 'human puppy'."

"Because I think he's cute in a 'he's my little brother and he's a klutzy little nerdy dork' kind of way. _She_ thinks he's cute in a 'date me, please' kind of way."

"Kazumi!"

"What? It's true." She pulled out her own phone. "Here's a picture of him. I took it last night when we were hanging out."

Ochaco moved to see the picture. In the summer heat, Deku wasn't wearing his typical hoodie and jeans that were the only things she ever saw him in. Instead, they'd been replaced by a tank top and cargo shorts that showed off his muscle. She felt herself heating up and looked away quickly while the other girls scooted closer.

"Wow, he's not _cute_! He's hot!" Ashido insisted. "Kazumi, how is he _not_ your boyfriend?"

"Simple. He's basically my brother. Besides, even though I'm made of water, he's not _thirsty_ for me. He'd rather be _floating_ on cloud nine."

"Wait. Wait wait wait. Are you saying…?"

"Yeah. He likes Ochaco. I have to hear him talk about her a lot ever since I gave her his number."

"What does he say?"

"He gets all awkward and flustered and stumbles over his words, but it boils down to 'Uravity is amazing. She's going to be a great hero. I can't wait to see her again.' He doesn't have a lot of friends."

"Aw… that's adorable! Uraraka, if you don't date him, I will!"

Ochaco chose to ignore the others in favor of getting her phone back.

* * *

Izuku felt awkward as he waited a block away from UA. Uravity was going to meet up with him so they could just… talk. Okay, so maybe 'awkward' wasn't the right word to use. More like nervous and frozen with fear.

_She wants to talk. She just wants to talk._

_ Oh, God, did she figure out I'm in the League?! No. No way. Kazumi's been too careful. And I didn't say anything to tip her off._

_ It's just Uravity. The prettiest girl at UA._

_ WHY AM I NOT SUPPOSED TO BE NERVOUS ABOUT THIS?!_

"Deku?"

He yelped as her voice broke into his thoughts.

"Are… you okay?"

"I-I'm fine. Why?"

"You seem awfully on edge."

"Oh, well, that's just because I'm not used to talking to girls face to face who aren't Kazumi."

"Don't worry. You're doing fine. Just don't be a jerk and we won't have a problem."

"You got it!" He gave her a thumbs-up and she started giggling.

They began walking away from UA and towards a more populated area. Izuku still wore his hoodie to avoid being recognized by anybody who could've known him while Uraraka just walked beside him.

"So, do you like the hero course?"

"I love it. I'm learning so much and I've met so many great people—like you and Kazumi. Maybe one day I'll even get my license."

"I know you will. You already have your provisional license, don't you? Earning the real thing should be a snap!"

"Thanks." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hey, what do you do when you're not gathering information? You obviously don't go to school…"

"Actually, I work for Kazumi's… caretaker, let's put it that way. I started working for him a while back, which is how I met Kazumi in the first place. She was my first real friend."

"And am I your second?"

"Yeah. But… um… I kind of—"

A small rock flew out of nowhere and hit him on the back of the head. Glancing behind him, he could see Kazumi making an 'X' with her arms before she vanished into the crowd.

"You kind of what?"

"I was kind of hoping you and I could maybe grab some food? I haven't eaten yet and I'll pay."

"Great! Thank you!"

The two headed off to get some food.

What they didn't notice was that Shigaraki was also in the crowd. And he was taking notice of them.

"Don't even think about it," snapped Kazumi as she dragged him off.

"Aw, but _sis_!"

"I'm not your sister." They were in a secluded area now. "I'm your 'subordinate', remember? That's what you insisted on."

"Oh, it's not _my_ fault your father didn't want you and All For One did!"

"Shut up."

"Here's an idea—you're getting chummy with a bunch of your classmates. Why not add Todoroki to the list?"

"Why him specifically?"

"He's the most powerful member of your class besides you and if you get him on your side, he'll be reluctant to fight you if it comes down to it."

"Any fight between me and Todoroki will end in less than thirty seconds because _I'm made of water_."

"Doesn't matter. Do what I say."

"Or what?"

"Or I go after Deku and Uravity and ruin everything for you."

She squeezed her hands into fists.

"Fine."

"Good girl."

Once Shigaraki left, Kazumi sighed.

_I really hate being the 'daughter' of All For One…_

Ochaco smiled as she and Izuku headed back towards UA.

It had been a great… meet-up? Date?

_Nope. Not a date. Not ready yet._

As they walked along, she felt Deku's fingers brush hers ever so gently, as if he wanted to hold her hand but wanted her consent to it first. She gave it by slipping her hand into his and squeezing very subtly. He whole-heartedly held that hand with a smile on his face.

"Uravity, can I… tell you something?" he asked when they were at the spot where they'd met up. Her hand was still in his.

"Of course you can."

"I… I like you. A lot. I think you're really smart and funny and your Quirk is amazing. Not to mention you're beautiful and you make me feel like I'm worth something and—"

"Deku."

"Sorry. I was rambling, wasn't I?"

"A little. Kazumi warned me it was one of your nervous habits. But I think it's kind of cute."

"R-really?"

"Yeah. And… I like you a lot, too."

"You do?!" He sounded genuinely shocked.

"Yeah."

"So, um… do you… do you wanna be my girlfriend?"

"Yes. I do."

He pulled her into a big hug and she felt happier than she'd felt in a while. Nothing could ruin this for her.

"I'd better get you back to UA, huh?"

"Yeah. Text me when you wanna meet up again."

"I will."

Neither of them realized another UA student was nearby.

Bakugo.

_What the hell is Pink Cheeks doing with Deku?!_

_ Dammit! No way… is she… is she dating him?!_

_ I've gotta warn her. I've gotta warn her that Deku is bad news._

* * *

**Izuku: Here's the preview! You know, Kazumi, I don't think you've ever explained to me why you became a villain.**

** Kazumi: What are you talking about? I told you right after you joined the League—I was bored and being a villain seemed like something to do.**

** Izuku: I'm pretty sure that's a lie.**

** Kazumi: Dammit. It's that obvious? Well, I actually didn't have a real reason. It was more about circumstance.**

** Izuku: Circumstance?**

** Kazumi: Trust me, this story isn't the happiest. But I trust you to not judge me.**

** Izuku: Next time—Kazumi Hamasaki: Origin!**

** Both: So long and thanks for all the fish!**


	4. Kazumi Hamasaki: Origin

**I think that it is time to address something.**

** Kazumi's reasoning for becoming a villain as well as her origins.**

** Favorites: DarkHunter23, Elkanadiano13, Gamescade, Micknitro06, and .gauna.**

** Follows: BountifulGames, DarkHunter23 (again), IndID, JeremyK1, Russy, .gauna, Elkanadiano13, Gamescade, Gibo, One For Inspiration, The 0bservanc3, and pedrojunior0922.**

** Kudos: GespenstMKIV and four new guests (for a total of eleven guest so far!).**

** Our first comment this time around is from emiya-excalibur. Yeah, Ochaco rolled a 1 on her perception check, but think about it. They say love is blind and since she's in love with Izuku, she's going to be blind to things like that. Also, Kazumi is not All For One's daughter by blood, hence why the word was in quotation marks in the last chapter. As for you being hit by the feels train… I LIVE FOR YOUR SUFFERING.**

** And as for ElephantBoy00… yeah. You're welcome for this story and you're getting a new chapter! The second one of the day!**

** Onto Kazumi's origin!**

* * *

It wasn't uncommon for children to be abandoned.

It was certainly less common than it had been before Quirks, but it was still common enough that special programs had been made to help those children. Especially if said children had Quirks of their own. Stiff punishments were put in for the parents of the abandoned children if the parents were found, but more often than not it was a fruitless effort. Sometimes, though, those same children ended up on the streets because they were afraid. Afraid of being abandoned again.

You wanna know how I ended up in the League of Villains?

Because I was one of those children.

I have very few memories of my life prior to All For One. All I remember is being left on a street corner by my birth father… and never seeing anyone come for me. Not my mother or any other family members. According to some people, I was considered an embarrassment to my family because of my Quirk and so they didn't want me. Why would they?

The programs that took care of children with Quirks that didn't have parents tried to take me in several times. But after the first few times, where I was bullied mercilessly for being made completely of water, I stopped letting them take me in.

_Water Girl._

_ Water Witch._

_ Ocean Head._

_ River of Useless._

Those were the kinds of names I was called.

I learned to survive on my own by scrounging around and finding what I could. I even learned how to pickpocket to find money so I could have an actual meal once in a while. I never used my Quirk to get what I wanted. I didn't think it was right for me to do that when my Quirk was why I'd been abandoned and abused time and time again. Using it would only make things worse. But because of that, I learned to use my brain and my eyes to compensate and soon I was running the small group of orphans like me that took up the city area where we 'lived'.

Then, one day, a man approached me. Even now, I can't remember what he looked like. He introduced himself as All For One and offered me something. He offered me a home in exchange for me becoming his child. I was reluctant at first, but he kept coming back and speaking to me specifically.

"You have so much potential, Kazumi. Your Quirk is amazingly powerful and I can help you grow that power. All you have to do is become my daughter and I'll help you as much as I can."

Eventually, he wore me down and I went with him. He brought me to a small house where there was a boy several years older than me already living there. The boy, Tomura Shigaraki, was to be my brother. But he never treated me like his sister. I was his subordinate at best. Still, All For One treated us the same and helped us develop our Quirks to the best of his ability. He even taught me general studies like math and science and history.

For the first two years I lived with All For One, I was happy. I had him and a home. I wasn't scrounging for loose change or picking pockets. I was learning how to control my Quirk and everything else kids my age learned.

Then All For One almost died at the hands of All Might.

Shigaraki and I both vowed revenge and a man named Kurogiri took us in as his charges. Well, he took me in as his charge. Shigaraki refused to listen to him but accepted the free housing.

A few more years passed and All For One was slowly healing his wounds. As I grew older and continued to learn all I could while developing my Quirk, I became fascinated by the history of Quirks.

Then, when I was thirteen, I learned the truth about All For One.

He was a villain, the true villain who could steal Quirks as if they were change in the pockets of unsuspecting tourists. And All Might was supposed to stop him. By then it was too late for me to switch sides. Shigaraki made it clear to me that if I ever betrayed him or All For One, he'd let All For One steal my Quirk and then kill me in the most painful way possible.

So I stayed with Shigaraki.

Obeying him.

Resenting his every command.

Then came the day All For One brought somebody new to our hideout—a boy named Izuku Midoriya. He became the newest member of the League and I was intrigued by him. He was the first person my own age I had interacted with for quite a while and he seemed as interested in me as I was in him. We quickly became best friends and he told me his story—how he was bullied for his lack of a Quirk and his hero had told him there was no way for him to be what he wanted to be. He was the person who always had my back, no matter what.

Except for the USJ attack, but I blame Shigaraki for that, not him.

When I entered UA, I wasn't intending to feel the freedom I felt. All For One had set up an apartment for me not too far from the school so I would have a place to live. Not to mention he had Izuku move into said apartment in order to keep an eye on me and so it would be easier for me to relay information. We were roommates and best friends and that was it. All I needed for friends was Izuku—or Deku, as he'd taken to being called—and I didn't need anybody else.

But after the entrance exam, and meeting Ochaco Uraraka, I felt a longing to be more close with my classmates. She and Iida were my first friends other than Deku and I found myself… resenting my position. Deku and I were still working to take down UA, but I began to wonder if there was a way to convince All For One to spare certain students in my class.

Then came the Sports Festival, where I chose to forget the League for a little while and compete for myself, nobody else. It felt _good_. I was free of the League because they didn't care about the festival. Except Deku, who enjoyed watching the awesomeness that was myself and my classmates.

Shigaraki chose to remind me of my place and sent me to aid Iida when Stain attacked him. That was another time where I chose to fight for something other than the League; I chose to fight for Iida and Native and Todoroki and Stain declared me a true hero, worthy of living and carrying the title.

And that was the moment.

That was the moment it became clear in my mind that I was never meant to be a villain. I hadn't even stopped to think when Shigaraki told me Iida was in trouble. All I could think of was that my friend was in danger and he needed help. I was meant to be a hero instead of a villain. I never should've accepted All For One's offer. I should've stuck with the program homes.

_I'm supposed to be a hero._

A few things stopped me from leaving the League right then and there. For one thing, Shigaraki's threat to kill me if I ever betrayed him or All For One. There was also the fact that Shigaraki began to threaten Deku and Ochaco and Iida. But most of all, it was because I was afraid. I was afraid of leaving Deku alone and letting him take the punishment for my betrayal.

The training camp incident, however, solidified something in my mind.

Deku was meant to be a hero, too.

We were in a rough spot. I moved into the dorms and kept in contact with him through texts while he remained at our apartment. I earned my provisional license and he became Ochaco and I's informant during our second year at UA for that assignment.

I knew he'd fallen hard for my partner.

That's why I went back to Shigaraki—so Deku could have a chance to be happy.

And maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to escape the life of a villain.

But it wasn't meant to be—not for Deku and not for me.

Because Fate has a nasty sense of humor and just when everything started going right…

Everything went horribly horribly wrong.

* * *

"Hey, Pink Cheeks!"

Ochaco turned at the sound of Bakugo's voice.

It had only been a couple weeks since she and Deku had become an item and she was still in the honeymoon phase. Meaning she'd been in a good mood all that time and nothing seemed to be able to bring her down.

"What's up, Bakugo?"

"I've been trying to talk to you for two weeks now but every time I try, Water Witch fucking blocks me!"

"I can't imagine why. Anyway, what's so important that you have to talk to me about it for that long?"

"It has to do with your boyfriend, Deku."

"Oh." She remembered that Bakugo had bullied Deku all through elementary and middle school and narrowed her eyes. "If it's to tell me that he's a Quirkless dork I shouldn't waste my time on, then don't say anything. I already know you bullied him for years."

"No, that's not the problem."

"Then what is it?"

"Do you know what Deku is?"

"He's a normal guy who's good at gathering information and a friend of Kazumi's."

"Uraraka… he's a member of the League of Villains." She blinked, then snorted.

"Nice try, Bakugo. But you're not going to convince me with something _that_ lame."

"I'm being serious. He's nothing but trouble and you're going to get hurt if you keep dating him!"

"Even if he _is_ a villain—which he's not—he's saved my life twice!"

"So?! Water Witch saved your life once and I don't see you dating _her_!" Suddenly, Bakugo looked bothered by something. "Wait, when did he save your life?"

"He saved me from that girl obsessed with blood at the training camp and again when a guy tried to…" Ochaco's voice trailed off. She couldn't finish what had almost happened that day.

"Think about it. How did he find the training camp? The only way he could've known was if he was with the League of Villains!"

Ochaco's eyes widened.

Suddenly, it all made sense. Why Deku hid his identity. How he'd saved her at the training camp. Him being so good at fighting and having a disregard for laws. He was a member of the League. She was dating a member of the League.

"No…" She shook, her lower lip trembling as her happiness was shattered.

_He's a villain. I can't be with him if he's a villain._

"You know I'm right—"

"Bakugo!" The door to Ochaco's room flew open to reveal Kazumi, looking royally pissed. There was steam rising from her hair from the heat of her anger.

"Oh, hey, Water Witch. Did you know your buddy Deku is a member of the League of Villains? Because Uraraka's his girlfriend and _she_ didn't know."

"No, I didn't."

"Liar!" He created small explosions. "You must've known! Why else would you keep me from talking to her?!"

The other members of class 2-A heard the commotion and came up to see what was going on.

"Because I know what you did to Deku, you bastard!" Water flowed from her hands as she prepared to go against Bakugo.

"I bet you're a member of the League, too! You're the reason we had so much trouble our first year!"

Kazumi threw the first attack and missed, gouging a cut into the wood floor.

"Don't make baseless accusations!"

"Baseless?! You put our entire class in danger!"

He forced her into the hall with the blowback from his explosions.

"Take this outside, you two!" Iida insisted.

"Will do, Iida!" Kazumi replied as she narrowly dodged another of Bakugo's attacks. She turned and ran for the stairs, heading straight for outside so they could continue their battle elsewhere.

"Uraraka," croaked Tsuyu. "What's wrong?"

"D-Deku… he's a villain… he's part of the League…"

"Is _that_ what they're fighting about?!" Kirishima yelped.

"He thinks Kazumi knew, too, since she's the one who introduced me and Deku."

"We'd better stop them from killing each other!" Ashido gasped, running after the two heroes-in-training.

By the time the class got outside, they could see that neither Bakugo nor Kazumi was holding back. She kept dousing the fires of his explosions and he kept dodging her water slices.

"Worse comes to worse, he'll have nasty cuts, but I'm more worried about Kazumi," Hagakure stated.

"No, she'll kill him!" Uraraka gasped. "Kazumi told me something about her water abilities. Raise the pressure and it's enough to cut through steel! Those are the kind of attacks she's throwing!"

Todoroki frowned.

"I'm sorry, my friend," he mused, extending his right hand. "We've grown close over the past couple of weeks, but this is the most humane way to stop this battle."

In one quick move, he froze Kazumi to the ground and then launched himself forward to freeze the rest of her. Bakugo looked annoyed.

"What the hell, Half-and-Half?!"

"If Kazumi knows something about the League, then we need to bring her to the teachers. They can deal with her."

"No! Let me—"

"Bakugo, Todoroki's right," Kirishima interrupted. "Let's bring her to Mr. Aizawa and let him get the information out of her."

Uraraka pulled out her phone and found Deku's name in her contacts. While everybody else worked to get Kazumi inside, she hit the call button and went around the side of the building so nobody could see her.

_"Hey, Uravity!"_ Deku's cheerful tone greeted her. _"What's up?"_

"Can… can I ask you something? And will you give me an honest answer?"

_"Of course. You can ask me anything."_

"Are you—are you a member of the League of Villains?"

There was silence on the other end.

_"Knew it was too good to last… Kacchan told you, didn't he?"_

"Yeah. He did."

_"It was only a matter of time before he did. I'm so sorry…"_

"You _should_ be!" she exploded. "How can you be a villain?!"

_"Because they knew I was Quirkless and they still saw potential in me."_

'Potential'. 'Quirkless'.

She hated both of those words.

"You wanna know something, Deku?" Her tone was icy now. "Have fun with all your 'potential' alone. We're done."

He inhaled deeply on the other line.

_"Okay. That's fair. We… we can't be together… if I'm a villain and you're a hero."_

"Right, you bastard."

_"Just… one more thing. I really do think your Quirk is amazing and I know you're gonna be a great hero one day. Take care of Kazumi and make sure she's safe."_

_Click._

He'd hung up.

_Take care of Kazumi…? And make sure she's—crap. Crap, she really __**didn't**__ know!_

_ He didn't tell her and he was trying to keep her safe._

_ Crap!_

Ochaco ran into the building and found Kazumi being restrained by Aizawa's scarf.

"Tell us what you know, Hamasaki. And this will go a lot easier."

"I don't know anything!" she insisted, struggling.

"Your Quirk won't work here. You have no options."

"Even if I _did_ know, I wouldn't say anything! Deku is the first friend I ever had and he's always been there for me! Who _cares_ if he's a villain?!"

"You set him up with Uraraka!" yelled Ashido. "I hope she dumped him!"

"I did…" Ochaco said quietly.

"Good girl."

_Then why do I feel like I just kicked a kitten?_

Aizawa released Kazumi.

"I'll be watching you carefully," he warned. "You are not to leave campus for the next week and you will not send any messages outside the school."

"Yes, sir."

"The rest of you, keep an eye on her, too."

* * *

Izuku stared at his phone, trembling.

He hadn't been able to do anything else for the past hour since his phone call with Uravity. It was over so quickly… and they hadn't been together long. But he'd known it would end badly. There was no way for it to end well. She was a hero and he was a villain. They were diametrically opposed and they never should have met.

But he wanted her.

He wanted her _badly_.

Kazumi's phone had been turned off (she'd probably gotten onto Bakugo's case and gotten in trouble) so he couldn't tell his best friend the truth.

His feelings for Ochaco Uraraka weren't 'just a crush'. No, he was completely totally and irrevocably in love with her. For the first time, he'd felt hope that he could move beyond the League and maybe do something else with his life. That hope had been dashed now.

_She was so angry at me… and I don't blame her._

For a week, he subsisted off of whatever was in the apartment, refusing to leave for any reason. Shigaraki, miraculously, appeared to have no need for Izuku that entire time and the green-haired boy wallowed in self-pity as he scrolled through pictures of Uraraka on his phone.

_Everyone told me I couldn't be a hero because I didn't have a Quirk._

_ Well, if it's any consolation, you're a hero to me, Deku._

_ Hero._

He sat up in bed, eyes wide. Inside him, he could feel the resolve he'd felt as a child to be a hero and make the world a better place stirring. The feeling was familiar and he welcomed it with open arms.

And he knew exactly what he had to do. He shot a text to Uraraka and prepared to make what was possibly the most fatal decision he'd ever made.

He was quitting the League and turning himself in.

* * *

**No preview this time.**

** I will tell you all, though, that this next chapter is one of the scenes I planned out. We're getting into the real meat of the story now.**

** Next time: Deku's Resolve.**

** So long and thanks for all the fish!**


	5. Deku's Resolve

**Ooh boy.**

** Before we get into the drama, here's today's comment replies! I'm not going to be doing the favorites and follows and Kudos anymore because it's getting too confusing.**

** Our first comment, as usual, is from emiya-excalibur. I always forget how self-aware Shigaraki is. But remember, this is almost the climax. After this chapter, we only have two to go!**

** To WriterReaderfella, you're getting more! That's what this one is! **

** Here we go…**

* * *

With Kazumi under house arrest and being tight-lipped about Deku's whereabouts, the atmosphere at UA that week was tense. Everybody watched the water girl with a look of suspicion and hatred, as if she was the reason that UA had a problem with a leak. Ochaco still felt guilty over her breakup with Deku, but she tried to ignore it in favor of focusing on her studies. She also tried to steer clear of Kazumi, who was looking more and more depressed with each passing day.

Yet another thing Ochaco felt guilty about.

She was lying on her bed the last day of Kazumi's sentence and had her face buried in her pillow. After today, Kazumi would be able to leave campus, but the impact she'd brought because of Deku wouldn't be erased. Things would never go back to normal unless something changed.

_Bzzt._

Her phone vibrated with a text message, then another. Two more followed, the third taking the longest out of the four messages.

Out of morbid curiosity, she looked.

_Hey, Uraraka. It's Deku. I figured you erased my contact info after you found out the truth._

_ I really don't blame you._

_ But I have something I need to talk to you about in private. It's important and there isn't anybody else I can talk about this with. If you don't want to see me, that's fine. Just alert the pros and send them my way. Otherwise, I have to talk to you. This is serious business and I could end up dead if what I'm going to say is heard by the wrong people. The location is the fenced-in park at 395 Yukimura at ten o'clock. I'm sure you'll find a way to sneak out._

_ Hope I see you soon._

He wanted to talk to her.

_How do I know this isn't a trap?_

She wanted to see him. She hated to admit it, but it was the truth. Just because Deku was a villain didn't mean he was going to trick her.

_Maybe he never actually loved you. He just wanted to use you._

Uraraka had an idea, one that would allow her to see Deku one last time and protect her in case it was a trap.

As she walked down the hall towards the elevator, she heard muffled sobs coming from Kazumi's room. Her kind nature got the better of her and she opened the door to find Kazumi curled on the floor in the fetal position, crying.

"K-Kazumi?"

"O-Ochaco!" Kazumi unfolded herself and wiped her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Everything." Clearly, she was tired of keeping things in.

"How is everything wrong? I mean, your best friend's a villain and you were unfairly accused of being the leak…"

"It wasn't unfair. I _am_ the leak."

Ochaco blinked.

"You're in the League, too…"

"Yeah. I am. But I don't want to be. I didn't get a choice."

"Explain." Ochaco closed the door and sat down next to Kazumi.

"I was _raised_ by the leader of the League, if you can believe that. After my parents abandoned me because of my Quirk."

"Shigaraki raised you?" Kazumi burst out laughing.

"Oh, _God_, no! That asshole should burn. No, the leader of the League is a man named All For One. It's the name of his Quirk and… he's the only villain to ever do serious damage to All-Might."

"No way."

"I saw the aftermath of the fight. All For One wasn't dead, but he was badly injured. He's been healing for the past seven years. Anyway, he took me in when I was an abandoned child and raised me alongside Shigaraki. I thought… I thought he was a good person until I was thirteen. That's when I found out the truth—that he steals Quirks and stockpiles them like they're weapons. I wanted out, but Shigaraki threatened to kill me in a long and painful way if I ever betrayed him or All For One."

"How does Deku fit into this?"

"The day Deku joined the League, he took Bakugo's advice and tried to kill himself. All For One brought him to us and made him an offer that he accepted. Basically, the League has us by the throats. Neither of us can do _anything_ to fix this because we'll die if we do." She bit her lip.

Ochaco took a deep breath and sighed.

"Deku sent me a message. He wants to talk to me about something, and I'm going to need backup in case this is a trap."

"He doesn't set traps. It's not his type of thing to do."

"But I still want to go in with backup."

"You've got me, then." She trembled with fear. "I… I haven't reported to Shigaraki in a week because of the house arrest. He's going to be looking for me, but I don't care. Anything's better than this—feeling like I've been abandoned again."

"Kazumi, I promise that I will _never_ abandon you if what you've told me tonight is true."

"Thank you, Ochaco."

* * *

"I can't believe she agreed to this."

"Shut it, Lord Explosion Murder!"

"Make me, Water Witch!"

"Both of you, be quiet!" snapped Kirishima. "We're here to back up Uraraka, not argue."

"I'm sorry," sighed Kazumi as they walked. "I'm just… nervous."

"Why, because your best friend is a member of the League of Villains?" Kaminari asked stupidly.

"No, because I'm more than likely not going to live past sunrise tomorrow." She reached into a pouch on her belt and pulled out a piece of paper. "Once this meeting's over, bring this to All-Might. Tell him All For One is still alive."

"O…kay?" Kirishima replied, confused. "Who's One For All?"

"All For One. The only villain who ever did significant damage to All-Might. And the man who raised me."

They all stared after her in shock.

"What are you standing around for?!" Iida called, annoyed. "Get into position!"

Every member of class 2-A (save for Mineta, who was recovering from an… incident) was present and accounted for. Except for Ochaco, they positioned themselves in the best places to stay hidden and still be able to use their Quirks. She approached the meeting place alone.

"You came," said a voice. Deku jumped down from a nearby fire escape and pulled back his hood. Kazumi gripped Bakugo's wrist to keep him from using his Quirk preemptively.

"Yeah. You said this was serious, what you wanted to talk to me about. That it could be… fatal?"

"I need to… tell you something before I explain why I needed you to come here."

She nodded, prompting him to go on.

"Uraraka—I mean, Ochaco. You're the most amazing person I've ever met in my life." He took a deep breath. "You probably already know that Kazumi was the leak at UA. I know she's been under house arrest for the past week. But when she took the entrance exam—the practical, I mean—I was watching through a small camera that she had on her. I saw her save you and I felt… something. I didn't know what it was, but as I watched you, it got stronger and stronger. I brushed it off for a long time and Kazumi teased me about it whenever we met up."

Ochaco kept a straight face, even though she felt like she was melting.

"Then I met you face to face and it happened without me even realizing it. I didn't see it coming. But when you called me a hero…" He clenched his fists, clearly trying not to cry. "For the first time in my life, I was somebody's hero. I wasn't Izuku Midoriya, the Quirkless blunder. And I wasn't the villain Deku. I was a hero who saved somebody, just like I wanted when I was a kid.

"Everyone told me it was impossible because I didn't have a Quirk. That I would never amount to anything. Even All-Might said I couldn't be a hero." His voice broke. "But for one moment… just for one moment… I got to live my childhood dream thanks to you, who thought I was someone I wasn't. And I want to be that someone. I want to be better. I want to be somebody who nobody's ashamed to be associated with. I… I don't want to be a villain anymore!"

Kazumi covered her mouth and Bakugo's to keep them both from crying out.

"So… I asked you to come here so I could tell you something serious and important. Well… I'll be giving notice to the League at midnight and from there—if I'm still alive—I'm turning myself over to the pros. I wanted to tell you so I could also say three other things. I'm sorry that I lied about being a villain. I'll miss you. And… I love you, Ochaco Uraraka. That's one thing I didn't lie about."

"D-Deku…" She covered her mouth, shaking with shock as tears filled her eyes.

"I'm not going to see you again. It's going to be impossible. So… goodbye, Ochaco. I hope you have a long and happy life."

He turned away and began to walk back the way he'd came. Ochaco couldn't move. Her face was painted with confusion and pain as she trembled, still covering her mouth.

"I'm getting him," snarled Bakugo as class 2-A went to join her.

"If anybody's going after Deku, it's me," Kazumi corrected. "I have business with the League anyway—handing in my resignation."

"You're not going alone," Iida insisted.

"Thanks, but…"

"I'll go and get the pros to help. Just give me the location!"

She nodded and wrote down two addresses.

"One is a warehouse where All For One keeps the Nomu. And the other one is a bar where Shigaraki and Kurogiri run things from. Be fast. And be sure to tell All-Might about All For One."

"Yes, ma'am!"

"A small team of the rest of you are coming with me. So who's it going to be?"

The class voted and most members of the class stayed behind. Bakugo, Yaoyorozu, and Todoroki were voted in to go with Uraraka and Kazumi while the others went back to UA to wait for the teachers. Kazumi marched forward, determined.

_Time to pay Shigaraki back for his bullshit…_

* * *

Aizawa couldn't believe what his students had just pulled.

_I'm going to kill every last one of them._

Because of Iida's message and information, an emergency meeting of all the teachers had been called. There was little time to plan; only time for action. Iida was the only student from 2-A present at the meeting and he held up his phone.

"I have just received word from Kazumi. She believes Deku will head to the warehouse where All For One keeps the Nomu, as All For One is in charge of the League. She's heading there now with Uraraka, Bakugo, Yaoyorozu, and Todoroki. The others wish to accompany us."

"I can't believe this," All-Might grunted. "And you said that she's been a member all this time?"

"Correct. She originally came to UA as an undercover agent, but she's been giving that up as recently as our second semester here."

"God…"

All the pros nodded to each other.

"I'll put out a call," Nezu stated. "We'll need every pro we can find for this mission."

"Thank you for the address, Iida," added Midnight.

And the pros headed out, Iida going with them because there was no way he was going to let his class do it alone. All-Might felt fearful for the lives of those teenagers who'd gone out there.

_Please, let us make it in time._

* * *

Kazumi walked through the front door of the warehouse with her team on her heels. Deku appeared to have just arrived and he was standing there, looking for something.

"Izuku Midoriya…" Kazumi growled. He whirled around and his best friend gripped the front of his shirt.

"K-Kazumi?"

"How _dare_ you?!"

"How dare I what?!"

"How _dare you_ quit the League without me?! Friends 'til the end, right?"

"Yeah, but… Uraraka, you told them that fast?"

"They were… there… because I was afraid it was a trap." Deku nodded and Kazumi released her grip.

"I completely understand. But why are you all here?"

"Come back to UA with us," Ochaco told him, holding out her hand. "We'll make the teachers go easy on you because you're turning yourself in. Don't bother with officially resigning."

Izuku reached out and his fingers interlocked with hers.

For a moment, it was only them… and then Bakugo and Kazumi coughed to remind them that _yes, we're in the hideout of the villain who almost killed All-Might_.

"Where are the others?"

"They're with the teachers," Kazumi replied. "But they'll be waiting for us at the dorms. Now let's get—"

A black-and-red spike went through her shoulder, making her scream in pain as she fell to the floor.

"KAZUMI!" yelped Izuku.

"Well, if it isn't the prodigal daughter, returning home to see her father one last time."

"You're _not_ my father, you bastard!" she bit out through the pain.

All For One stepped from the shadows, still wearing a mask to conceal his face. Todoroki, Bakugo, Yaoyorozu and Ochaco got into battle positions.

"N-no… you can't face him… head-on!"

"And if it isn't little Izuku Midoriya! Tell me—was it worth betraying the man who allowed your pathetic existence to continue?" He tilted his head towards Ochaco.

"Yes. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat!"

"Foolish boy. I should have let you die that day instead of leaving a false body." He snapped his fingers and portals began to open as other members of the League entered the warehouse. Shigaraki's gaze immediately went to Kazumi.

"You _bitch_! I warned you!"

She was released from All For One's hold and Shigaraki reached for her.

The battle had begun as soon as she blasted away the hand on his face.

"Let's dance, Brother Dearest."

* * *

The bar had been completely deserted, leaving only the warehouse as a possible option for where the League was. All-Might and the others hurried as fast as they could and arrived just in time to see Kazumi Hamasaki get thrown through one of the walls and outside of the warehouse. A Nomu panted on the other side of the wall, lumbering towards her to continue their battle as Shigaraki followed it.

"You really have to cheat, don't you?!" she yelled, staggering to her feet.

"Just because I don't have a Quirk like yours," he laughed.

"What, you mean _actually useful in combat_?"

"Nomu! Incapacitate her!"

Unfortunately, it seemed like this was the night that the League made their move all over the city. Only a small contingent of pros—all of them teachers from UA—were able to make it. Other than that, the only heroes available were the class 2-A students who were already in the thick of the battle. The other UA classes were helping out in other spots around the city.

All-Might spotted All For One almost immediately.

"She _was_ telling the truth," he growled. "You're alive."

"Why would my daughter lie when she finally betrays me?"

"You aren't surprised?"

"Oh, no, how could I be? She's always possessed a sense of justice that Tomura lacked. That's why she forged such a connection with Izuku Midoriya—because they were both destined to be heroes against me."

All-Might threw a punch, taking care not to let All For One touch him.

Ochaco, on the other hand, was having some difficulty as she battled Toga. The blood-obsessed girl wasn't going down easily and she kept laughing.

"Oh, Ochaco! You're such a good friend to leave Deku!" She rushed Ochaco with a knife, which the brunette narrowly dodged. "I mean, I _told _Kazumi that he was _mine_! He always looks so _cool_ when he's bleeding after a fight! You were a _bad_ friend to date him!"

"What are you even talking about?"

"You know! How you were with him for a couple of weeks and then ripped his heart out!" She pouted. "That's _my_ job!"

Todoroki was locked in combat with Dabi, whose fire was a blow-for-blow match with his own. Twice was causing trouble for Bakugo and Yaoyorozu was helping him until she spotted Deku sneaking up behind Shigaraki, who was still locked in combat with Kazumi.

"FUCK YOU!" Kazumi yelled, sending boiling hot water towards the man who'd called her sister. He wailed in pain as it scalded him and the Nomu lumbered forward.

Kazumi and the Nomu vanished from sight as she ran away.

But Deku wasn't done.

He leapt onto Shigaraki's back, driving a switchblade into the man's neck and causing the villain to howl even louder as he threw Deku off.

"You little _shit_!" Shigaraki pulled his hand back and Deku—to the complete shock of Yaoyorozu and everyone else who saw him—pulled a gun out of his hoodie pocket.

"Not one step!" Deku snapped.

"Ooh, you have your gift from Overhaul still, eh?"

_Overhaul?!_

"I mean it, Shigaraki!"

"After what he did to that little girl, I'm shocked you have the fruits of his labor."

"She told me to keep it so I could be safe from you!"

Shigaraki snarled and rushed him but Deku's finger was quick on the trigger. A bullet flew from the barrel of the gun and landed in Shigaraki's shoulder. He wailed in as much pain as he had before and wrapped his fingers around Deku's arm.

Nothing happened.

Deku didn't decay or turn to dust. He just looked triumphant… and pissed as hell.

"Guess they still work."

"Quirk-erasing bullets—that's cheating, you—"

In one move, Deku leapt to his feet and landed a strong punch to Shigaraki's face, knocking him backward and towards a reappearing Kazumi, who caught the villain.

"He's all yours, Kazumi. I'm going after All For One."

Filled with a new sense of vigor, the students and teachers began fighting harder. Ochaco managed to pin Toga and tie her up with some rope that Yaoyorozu had created. The same was true for Todoroki with Dabi.

Kazumi had disappeared again.

Deku aimed the gun he had at All For One, who had once again severely injured All-Might. The number-one hero was on the ground at the feet of his greatest adversary, unable to get up.

"This is for Eri. And Kazumi. And All-Might. And… for _me_!"

_Bang._

The scene seemed to unfold in slow motion as the bullet flew towards All For One, striking the man in the shoulder and making him screech as he fell towards the ground. He rushed towards Deku, who continued to hold out the gun. But he wasn't able to use any of his Quirks and the boy without any at all whipped the gun across All For One's face.

An ear-splitting scream that Ochaco recognized as Shigaraki's rang out and was suddenly silenced.

_Kazumi won._

Now All For One was in hand-to-hand combat with Deku, who had obviously had much more experience of late than the villain to end all villains. Nomu were brought from underground and fought off by the pros who had managed to make it.

Everything was chaos, but Ochaco watched as Deku was struck with blow after blow. Mr. Aizawa restrained any of the students from fighting alongside him as the teachers rushed to stop the fight.

Then Deku knocked All For One into a support pillar—the main pillar, it turned out.

The warehouse began to collapse and dust spread everywhere.

And then there was silence.

* * *

**If you hated the end of this chapter, you're going to hate the one that's going up tomorrow.**

** So long and thanks for all the fish!**


	6. Heartache

**Comment replies of the day!**

** First up is my good buddy, emiya-excalibur! …'no witty comments this time around'… *smacks papers on computer desk* Yep. I expected as much. I feel like you're going to hate me for this chapter.**

**To The Keeper of Worlds for both your comments, firstly yes this has escalated. And secondly, keep reading.**

**Onto the story!**

* * *

As the dust settled, nobody moved, too shocked from what had just transpired. All they could see was All For One, crushed by the weight of the roof that had fallen down on him.

Deku was nowhere to be seen. And Kazumi had yet to reappear.

_No… I can't lose them, not this soon!_

Ochaco was the first to move as she bolted forward into the ruins.

"Uraraka! It's not safe!"

"Wait!"

"Young Uraraka!"

The calls of her classmates and teachers alike did nothing to slow Ochaco as she ran through the rubble. Her mind was on one thing and she _prayed_ that she'd make it in time.

As if someone heard her, she spotted an unmoving form propped up against another fallen support pillar.

_Deku!_

She slid to a stop beside him and crouched. He was breathing, but barely. Those emerald eyes she loved so much were dull now, the life barely there. Bleeding from the knuckles, from his temple, and still smiling as he struggled to look at her. Beside him was the gun with the Quirk-erasing bullets he'd used to cripple All For One during the battle, just inches from his bleeding fingers.

"O-Ochaco…?" he rasped, coughing. "Are you okay?"

"Am… am _I_ ok—Deku, you need help!"

"No. I don't."

"But you're _dying_!"

"Exactly. I'm not going to… to last… long enough to get to a hospital."

She clutched his hand, tears spilling from her eyes as the others approached.

"Please, hold on a little longer!" she begged.

"Chaco, I love you… so much…" He coughed again. "Even…even if you don't love me… b-back…"

"No. No, I do! _Please_, hold on for me! I-I can't lose you!"

"I'm… I'm too far… gone." His dull eyes met hers. "Please… smile for me?"

"How… how can I smile when I'm about to lose you?"

"Because that's what people need sometimes… a smile."

All-Might covered his mouth, shaking.

_I.. I can't believe it… he was the right p-person all along… he was the one to inherit One For All…_

_ And I crushed his dreams._

"What happened?" asked another voice. Everyone but Ochaco and Deku looked to see who had shown up. It was Kazumi, looking burnt and filthy and bleeding heavily. One eye was closed as she panted.

"Deku's dying," Ochaco said in a small voice.

"Heh." Kazumi limped over and looked at Deku. "N-no fair. I… I thought our pact said I die first."

"Sorry, Kazumi… take c-care of Eri for me…"

_Eri?_

"Yeah, right. How am I supposed to tell her about this? 'H-hey, Eri! The bad guy who raised me is gone because of Deku but your papa died!' She'd start crying and stop calling me Auntie Kazumi."

"You'll f-figure it out." His breathing halted for a moment before resuming with a wheeze.

"I guess I'll see you on the other side when it's my turn." She glanced at Ochaco with her good eye. "Hey, Uravity. Kiss him before he goes. Don't let him die with a regret."

"Chaco… you… don't have to…"

He was cut off as Ochaco pressed her lips against his. His vision began to go blurry as she pulled away, but he could still see her face clearly.

"I'll… see you in my next life… Ochaco. I love you."

"I love you too, Izuku." She gave him a gentle smile and he smiled weakly back.

"Chaco?"

"Yes?"

"Move forward. And go beyond. Plus Ultra." He weakly raised his fist before it dropped.

Then he stopped breathing.

"Izuku?" She shook him gently. "H-he's gone."

"DAMMIT DEKU!" roared Bakugo, dropping to his knees by the body. "You can't die yet! I didn't… I didn't get to apologize!"

Tears were dripping down his face. Ochaco had a grip on Izuku's hand as she sobbed and Tsuyu tried to comfort her. Nobody could quite believe that Izuku was gone.

_Not to mention he apparently has a daughter… who's going to tell her?_

"I can give him the message for you."

He snapped his head to look at Kazumi as she swayed unsteadily on her feet, her eyes having the same glazed look as Izuku's had right before he'd…

"No! Kazumi, dammit, not you too!"

"I gotta go. At least… Deku and I went out like heroes." She smiled—a real smile, not the smirks or tiny grins the students of class 2-A were used to. "Not bad… for a couple of villains… nobody wanted."

She pitched forwards, Todoroki managing to catch her and turn her over so she was looking up.

"Don't ever count us out."

"Wasn't planning on it, Water Witch."

"Asshole bastard." She sighed. "You're gonna be a hero. Screw the guilt and keep on training."

"How about you keep on living and spar with me?"

"That'd be nice. I'll kick your ass." She turned to look at the boy holding her. "And Todoroki? You're gonna crush your old man one day. He's got _nothing_ on you."

"Kazumi…" Todoroki had a single tear running down his scar as he sank to the ground with her in his arms.

* * *

_"Hey, Todoroki!"_

_ He turned at the sound of Kazumi Hamasaki's voice. She was running up to him, her normal company of Iida and Uraraka nowhere to be seen._

_ "Hello, Hamasaki."_

_ "Do you wanna spar?"_

_ "Hm?"_

_ "I said, do you wanna spar with me for a bit? I normally spar with Bakugo, but he's being an asshole and Ochaco's out somewhere. Iida's visiting his brother this weekend and I really want to work on my Quirk."_

_ "So why me?"_

_ "Because my water goes with your ice and fire so well. I want to work on dodging your attacks so maybe I can kick your ass at the Sports Festival next year!"_

_ "Hm. Might be worth a try."_

* * *

_ "Dammit!"_

_ Kazumi doubled over, panting heavily as Todoroki melted his ice and allowed her to go free._

_ "You're doing much better." Todoroki tapped his chin. "Perhaps… have you ever tried raising the temperature of the water you use?"_

_ "It usually only happens by accident when I'm angry at this guy who works for my dad."_

_ "I can't believe I'm saying this, but use your anger to keep your temperature up so it's harder for me to freeze you."_

_ "So kind of like when you melt ice in a sink—you use water at the hottest setting!"_

_ "That's exactly what I'm saying." He got into a sparring position. "Now, try it again, but think of something that makes you angry. Villains. Bakugo. That man who works for your father."_

_ He sent a wave of ice towards her as she growled and steam began to rise off her hair. His ice touched her but this time, it melted immediately upon contact with her body. She took the opportunity to rush him and knock him back with a strong blast of water. He landed hard outside the ring._

_ "Oops! Sorry, Todoroki!" She rushed over and extended a hand. "Guess I overdid it. No hard feelings?"_

_ "Nonsense." Todoroki accepted the hand and she helped him to his feet. "I'd expect nothing less from the third-best student in our class, Hamasaki."_

_ "Kazumi."_

_ "What?"_

_ "Call me Kazumi. We're friends now, aren't we?"_

_ "I… yes. But I'd prefer you to call me Todoroki if you don't mind."_

_ "Not a problem."_

* * *

_ "That sounds awful."_

_ "It is awful." Kazumi stared out the window of Todoroki's room, where they'd been studying. "Nobody ever came to find me, except the man I call my father."_

_ "I completely understand what it's like to have a father you dislike."_

_ "I've heard about Endeavor… and what he did to you. I'm sorry."_

_ "What are you sorry for? What's done is done."_

_ "It seems like some of the best people in the world have some really shitty people around them."_

_ "Are you referring to your father and Shimura?"_

_ "No. I'm talking about a friend of mine. His name is Deku, and he's one of the kindest people I know. I haven't met anybody who has a stronger sense of justice than him. But… he's been tormented his whole life because he doesn't have a Quirk. Kind of like how I was tormented for mine."_

_ "Well… you're surrounding yourself with better people now. Perhaps he can do the same, since the two of you are so close."_

_ "Yeah." She giggled and faced him. "You know, not too long ago, we made a pact. If we ever go up against villains and end up dying, I die first."_

_ "I highly doubt you'll die against a villain, Kazumi."_

* * *

"Kazumi?"

She wasn't breathing.

"No…" Ochaco started sobbing and wailing and those gathered were reminded that she'd just lost both the love of her life _and_ her best friend within the span of about two minutes

"We failed…" whispered Present Mic, quieter than anybody had ever heard him speak.

All-Might stepped forward.

"I'll take Young Midoriya's body back to his mother. I'll tell her her son died like a hero…"

"And what about Kazumi?!" snapped Todoroki, shaking with anger as he whipped his head to look at All-Might. "She didn't _have_ any family other than the League and Deku! Her parents abandoned her! There's nobody to... there's nobody to..."

He didn't need to finish his statement.

_There's nobody to bury Kazumi._

"Her Quirk was powerful," Midnight stated, stepping forward. "Perhaps she was the illegitimate child of a top hero. We can perform tests to figure it out, but it will take time."

All-Might picked up the bodies of the two teenagers and walked out of the ruins of what had once been the warehouse.

_I failed… I failed to save them…_

Ochaco was still crouched next to where Izuku's body had been.

_Move forward._

His last words to her echoed in her head. He was right. She needed to stand up and move forward. Because she was a hero, and that was what heroes did. She'd keep going and move forward.

For herself.

For Kazumi.

And for Izuku.

* * *

**…**

** *hides behind a barrier and encases self in pillows***

** I still have one chapter left.**

** I would like to say that this is the first scene I wrote for this story, but that would be a lie. It was the second. The first one was the scene where Izuku has his confession before he goes off to… well, do this scene. Despite this being one of the shorter chapters, next time we'll get a much longer one.**

** No, I didn't add Eri after the fact because I'm in love with her calling Izuku 'Papa' and wanted to keep that even though he's a villain. I did **_**not**_**, shut up!**

** So long and thanks—*gets hit with a rotten tomato*—okay, I deserved that.**

** So long and thanks for all the fish.**


	7. Moving Forward

***emerges from smoking fortress***

** Wow. Wow, you guys really had stuff to say about the last chapter. Was it because I killed Izuku and Kazumi? I feel like it was because I killed Izuku and Kazumi.**

** Also, I almost decided to wait an extra day to release this chapter, but I didn't want to do that. I mean, I had this chapter completely finished within a couple hours of posting the previous one, and all I've done today is grammar and spelling fixes. But you're getting the final chapter today.**

** We've got a lot of comments to go through today, thanks to last time.**

** First comment, as always, is from emiya-excalibur. No, I actually wasn't quoting Nana. I haven't seen it, but if my quote was similar, then it was a coincidence. You'd be surprised how many times I inadvertently quote something and then have somebody in the comments tell me 'you quoted this!'**

** Next is OnlineOverlord15. Thank you. Not much else to say.**

** Third up is The Keeper of Worlds. Yes, the feels! I live for your anguish!**

** After that is Axlexington. Sorry, but Eri isn't going to fix it. I don't think her Rewind can bring people back from the dead.**

** And finally, we have a guest, who guessed on chapter 5 that Izuku was going to suddenly get a Quirk and save everything. Sorry to disappoint you, buddy.**

** On with the story!**

* * *

A week had passed since Izuku and Kazumi had died and Ochaco wasn't coping well.

She'd hardly left her room after they'd gotten back to UA, the feeling of loss hitting her harder than anybody else. She'd been the closest to them and they'd died right in front of her.

_I'm a failure as a hero._

"Ochaco?" Tsuyu called gently from the doorway.

"Go away, Tsu." Ochaco burrowed into her blankets.

"I know you're still upset about… what happened… but Mr. Aizawa sent me to get you. Some things have come up that need to be addressed by everyone in our class."

Reluctantly, Ochaco swung her legs over the side of the bed and walked with Tsuyu to the common rooms. Through a glass door, she could see Midnight with papers in her hands talking to Todoroki, who was looking shell-shocked and angry at the same time. He whirled away and threw the door open, almost shattering it as he bumped into Ochaco.

"T-Todoroki?" Tsuyu inquired. "What's…"

"My sister."

"Your sister?" repeated Ochaco.

"S-she was my s-sister." He leaned against the wall, slumping to the floor.

"Who? Who was your sister?"

"Kazumi." Tears rolled down Todoroki's face. "Kazumi was my twin sister that my father abandoned. That's what we found out from the DNA test."

Ochaco sat beside him.

"She never knew that she had actual brothers and a sister," he croaked as Tsuyu sat on his other side. "Or a mother who loved her. She never got to know any of that. My father will _pay_ for this!"

"Todoroki, Uraraka, Asui!" called Aizawa down the hall. "Come to the common room, please."

The two girls helped Todoroki to his feet and they entered the room together. All-Might was in his weaker form, accompanied by a woman with green hair and a little girl—maybe five or six—with silver hair and a horn sticking out of her head. The green-haired woman was clutching the hand of the little girl, who looked just as forlorn as Ochaco felt.

"Auntie Inko?" Ochaco heard Bakugo say behind her as he stepped into the room.

"Katsuki," she greeted him.

The little girl hid behind Inko.

"Grandma, is Papa here?" she whispered.

"No, Eri."

_Eri._

_ Izuku's daughter._

"Then is Auntie Kazumi here?"

"She lived here until recently," Kirishima offered gently. "We were her friends."

"Oh." Eri scuffed her toe on the floor. "I wanted to see her."

Nobody had the heart to tell such a young child what had happened.

All-Might cleared his throat.

"I'd like you all to meet the newest resident of your dorm. She'll be sleeping in Kazumi's old room for now, if you don't mind." He nodded to Eri, who stepped into the middle of everyone with her wide reddish-brown eyes.

"Hello."

"Hi, Eri," Ashido said softly. "I'm Mina Ashido. I was good friends with your Auntie Kazumi."

As the rest of the class introduced themselves to Eri, three of them held back.

Bakugo, out of guilt for failing to save Deku and Kazumi.

Todoroki, because his sister had just died and he was still processing that.

And Ochaco, who couldn't bring herself to talk to the precious being Deku had asked Kazumi to care for during his final moments.

_Your father's dead and it's my fault, Eri._

"… and this is Ochaco Uraraka, also known as Uravity," Ashido finished, bringing Eri in front of the girl in question. "She… she was your aunt's best friend and your father's special person."

Eri blinked as she and Ochaco made eye contact, then her eyes lit up.

"She's the girl Papa always talked about!" She clapped her hands. "Papa said she was beautiful and smart and kind and one of the best people he'd ever met!"

_That sounds like Deku, all right…_

"And I told him that she should be my mama since she's so amazing!" Eri's face fell as quickly as it had brightened. "But Papa hasn't been by since last Saturday night. He said… he said he loved me and Grandma very much and then he left."

Inko had tears in her eyes as Eri chose to bury her face in Ochaco's stomach.

"I… I guess I should explain some things," the older woman sighed. "Izuku told me quite a bit when he brought Eri to me last month, but I think we should get her settled before we start all that."

And true to her word, Inko had the students of 2-A sitting down with her as she took a deep breath. Eri had been settled in Kazumi's old room for a nap.

"Until last month, I had no idea that Izuku was alive. He supposedly killed himself over two years ago and it took me quite a while to move forward from that. When he came to the apartment with Eri… I was shocked. He told me everything—about the League, about how he adopted Eri after taking her from Overhaul, about Kazumi… and why he'd stayed away. Then he asked me to take care of Eri for him because he had something he needed to do and he wanted to keep her safe. I had to help him, even though I knew it was dangerous. He stopped by a few times after that, happier than I'd seen him since the day he found out that he'd never have a Quirk."

"And then last Saturday night he showed up and said goodbye?" asked Iida.

"Yes. When Eri wasn't in the room, he told me that there was a high possibility I'd lose him again—this time for good—and he couldn't leave me again without saying goodbye." She sniffed. "He was always such a good boy, my Izuku. All he wanted to do was help people… and nobody thought he could."

"He did help people." Ochaco spoke for the first time since Inko and Eri had arrived. "He saved my life at least twice, and he was still Quirkless. I don't think it should matter whether or not you have a Quirk to be a hero. That's what Izuku is to me. A hero who should be remembered for the good he did rather than a villain reviled for the bad he _didn't_."

"Exactly." Inko dabbed at her eyes. "I can see why Izuku loved you."

"And… I'm sorry I couldn't save him."

"But you did. Ochaco Uraraka, you're the person who brought my son back from the darkness. And I can never thank you enough for that."

* * *

_I can never thank you enough for that._

Inko's words echoed in Ochaco's head as she walked towards the entrance of the dorms with Eri.

For the past week, Eri had lived in the 2-A dorms and she'd taken to following Ochaco around like a duckling. She even called the zero-gravity girl 'Mama' and talked endlessly about how great it was to have a mama. Ochaco had managed to pull herself up enough to care for Eri as a mother, setting the rules for interacting with her new daughter and consequences for breaking said rules.

But it didn't change the fact that Eri's father wasn't there.

No funeral date had been set for Izuku and Kazumi. In fact, since the news had broken that Kazumi was a lost daughter of the Todoroki family, the media had been having a field day with the League—but not with Shigaraki or All For One. More about the two high-schoolers who had managed to bring the whole thing crashing down and lost their lives in the process. She could hear the newscast from the common area as she pulled on her shoes to head outside.

"_If these kids had lived, they should've made them pros immediately."_

_ "But Midoriya was Quirkless."_

_ "Doesn't matter. He had the guts to do something I doubt even Endeavor could pull off."_

_ "And speaking of Endeavor, what kind of consequences is he facing for abandoning Hamasaki?"_

_ "He'll be doing community service and he's banned from several events, but there isn't much they can do now without Hamasaki to testify against him."_

"Dammit…" Todoroki grumbled, switching off the TV.

For the past week, Todoroki had been even more withdrawn from his fellow students than he typically was. He spent quite a bit of time in Kazumi's old room, trying to piece together who his long-lost twin had been in life when Eri wasn't in there. Not to mention he'd been given the address of Kazumi and Izuku's apartment and spent time there doing the same thing he did in the dorm room. He'd also visited his mother at the hospital a few days earlier to inform her about Kazumi.

"How did your mom take the news?" Ochaco asked him.

"She was furious. Apparently, my father told her that Kazumi was kidnapped and he'd already notified the police."

"And is your family paying for her funeral?"

"Doubt it."

"Mama, let's go!" Eri insisted, tugging on Ochaco's arm.

"All right, Eri. Let's get going."

They headed out of the dorms and Eri ran straight for a grassy hill area nearby. She had a fascination with grass at the moment, which Ochaco honestly thought was adorable. Mostly because of Eri's reasoning.

_It's green and soft like Papa's hair!_

Ochaco sat down at the top of the hill while Eri laid in the grass and stared at the sky. It was a routine the two of them had now, allowing them to reflect. It was during Eri's second day at the dorms when they'd first done this that the little girl had revealed she wasn't as naïve as they thought.

_"Mama… Papa and Aunt Kazumi are dead, aren't they?"_

_ "What do you mean?"_

_ "I mean, everybody says they're 'not here right now', but I know they're dead. Otherwise, they'd be here with us and you'd be happy."_

_ "I am happy."_

_ "You're sad. Because you miss them. It's okay to miss them, right, Mama?"_

_ "Of course it is, Eri. But we have to keep moving forward because it's what they would want us to do."_

Ochaco was lost in thought—so lost that she didn't hear a voice coming from the gate to the dorm complex. But Eri did, and her daughter moving was what got Ochaco's attention.

"Little Bit!"

Eri started running towards the gate and Ochaco leapt to her feet.

"Eri, wait! You can't just run off!"

She skidded to a stop, her eyes wide as she realized who was at the gate.

"K-Kazumi…?!"

"Hey, Ochaco." Kazumi bit her lip and Ochaco took in her appearance.

She was wearing what must've been a spare gym uniform, given how short the sleeves were, and her arms were wrapped in bandages. There were even a couple on her face and Ochaco could see some peeking out from under the hem of the sweatpants.

In other words, Kazumi was still hurt, but alive.

_My best friend is alive!_

"Y-you're alive…"

"Yeah." Kazumi looked… apologetic? "God, I'm so stupid, Ochaco."

"You're not stupid, Auntie Kazumi!" piped up Eri. "You're smarter than Kacchan!"

"Oh, so you met him, huh? Figures you would've. All-Might told me you'd moved into the dorms—"

"_All-Might knew you were alive?!" _shrieked Ochaco.

Kazumi stiffened and looked apologetic.

"Yeah. I, um, woke up while he was carrying me and Deku out of there, enough for All-Might to change course and take me to Recovery Girl. I was pretty touch-and-go for a while, though, which is probably why he didn't say anything. He didn't want to get anybody's hopes up in case I died in my sleep or something."

"What about Deku?" Kazumi sighed.

"As far as I know, he's gone for good. He was in worse shape than I was, considering he could barely move when we got to him at the warehouse…" Her eyes teared up. "I'm sorry, Ochaco. I'm so sorry!"

"Kazumi…"

The former villain broke down crying, burying her face in Ochaco's shoulder as the two sank to the ground. It was more tears than she'd ever seen out of anybody except for Deku, whose habit of crying entire waterfalls made Kazumi's Quirk look dry in comparison.

"It's my f-fault! If… if I had just moved a little faster and grabbed him at the park… we would've never… never…" She hiccupped and Ochaco pulled her into a hug.

"I don't blame you. I blame myself."

"B-but why?!"

"Because _I _should've grabbed him at the park, not you." Ochaco's lip trembled. "Then he'd be here."

"You both suck."

Eri's deadpan comment—picked up from Bakugo, most likely—caused both the crying girls to laugh. And judging by the relieved smile on the little girl's face, it had been intentional.

"Uraraka! Is something—"

Todoroki burst out of the 2-A dorms—he'd apparently heard her yelling. And he cut himself off when he saw Kazumi, his eyes wide with complete disbelief.

"Hey, Todoroki." She stood up slowly and waved. "Guess my injuries weren't fatal after—"

He rushed forwards and grabbed her in a hug. She had a look of shock equivalent to his because _Shoto Todoroki did not randomly hug his classmates._

"You're alive," he choked out. "You're actually alive."

"I'm alive. It's nice to see you, too, Todoroki."

"Shoto."

"What?"

"I want you to call me Shoto. They… they did some testing to figure out who your parents were… and long story short, I'm your twin brother."

Kazumi looked like her world had been shattered.

"Holy crap! Are you _serious_, Todo—I mean, Shoto?!"

"Midnight told me a week ago. I… haven't been coping well."

"I wouldn't, either." She bowed her head. "I guess Deku and I still broke the pact. He died first."

"Yes. Unless…?"

"No. He wasn't where I was. Trust me, he's gone." Her eyes filled with tears again.

"Auntie Kazumi, Papa wouldn't want you to be sad," Eri said. "He'd want you to be happy because you found your family."

"I know… but he was my family more than anybody else."

"What am I?"

"You're the little monkey he decided he wanted to bring home to the apartment. Without consulting me and giving you _my room_."

"Well, _you_ weren't using it!"

Before the two could descend into more bickering, Ochaco grabbed her best friend's hand.

"I think it's time to tell everybody else."

* * *

"GODDAMMIT, WATER WITCH!"

"Nice to see you too, Bakugo." Kazumi smiled as Bakugo punched the wall. Everyone else was staring at her in shock.

"H-how is this possible?" Yaoyorozu stammered. "I saw you! You-you died!"

"According to Recovery Girl, my body temporarily shut down because of my injuries and I stopped breathing due to apnea. I woke up a little when All-Might was carrying me and Deku and he changed directions to bring me to Recovery Girl."

"What's 'apnea'?" Kirishima inquired.

"Basically, you stop breathing for periods of time. Usually it happens during sleep, but as long as it doesn't last longer than three minutes, you're okay. I've had issues with it before. I remember during our first semester before we moved into the dorms, I was living with Deku in an apartment and fell asleep on the couch." She smiled sadly. "He came out to get a drink of water while I was having one of my episodes and he freaked out because I wasn't breathing."

"Let me guess, he called an ambulance?" Bakugo snorted.

"He was in the middle of calling one when I woke up and made him hang up the phone." She sighed. "I miss him."

"I miss Papa too," Eri whispered, putting one of her tiny hands onto Kazumi's.

"Perhaps talking about him would help you feel better," Iida suggested. "It's what I've been telling Uraraka and Todoroki for the past week about you."

"Yeah. Maybe it would."

"Ooh! If you were his roommate, what was his most annoying habit?" Ashido spoke up. "Did he leave his socks everywhere or something?"

"No. If anything, Deku was the neat freak of the two of us. His most annoying habit was what I called a 'mumble mode'." She looked at her niece. "Do you remember that, Eri?"

"Oh, yeah!" Eri giggled. "He'd think about things too much and start talking to himself until Auntie Kazumi smacked him on the back of the head."

"I've seen him do that," laughed Uraraka. "It was kind of cute."

"It was annoying. You were blinded by your love for him," Kazumi snorted.

"How about training? He must've done plenty of that," Kaminari cut in.

"He liked to run on Dagobah Beach. It was also where he took Eri a lot to spend time with her when he could. But even before that… do you know what that boy did?"

"What?!" everyone gasped.

"He cleaned up Dagobah Beach. By himself. Trust me, I know because I was his spotter to make sure he didn't overstrain himself. And it was in just ten months."

"Holy shit!" Bakugo yelped.

"_Language_!" Ochaco snapped at him.

"Sorry."

"Actually, if you guys don't mind, I'd like to make a goodbye speech to him," Kazumi sighed. "Since I was his closest friend and all. I know we're not at his funeral, but… I don't know when Inko will be able to have one."

"Sure, go ahead," encouraged Todoroki.

"Thanks, Shoto." She stood up and in front of her class.

"You got this, Auntie Kazumi." Eri gave her a thumbs-up.

"Deku—or, I guess Izuku Midoriya—had it pretty rough when he was younger. Despite being selfless and caring with a strong sense of justice, the universe had a sick sense of humor and denied him a Quirk… meaning he was denied his dream of being a hero. Being Quirkless was his curse because nobody took him seriously. He was tormented, bullied on a daily basis… but he kept smiling through it all and kept his dream alive until the day he attempted to take his own life. That was the day I met him, the first person who treated me like a human being instead of a pet or a nuisance. My Quirk that caused my father to abandon me like trash on the side of the road didn't matter to him.

"Even though we were villains, we had our own vision for how the world would be shaped. The thought of destroying heroes entirely was ludicrous and stupid to us. But we weren't destined to be villains. We were destined to be heroes. It… it was Izuku who convinced me to take the entrance exam at UA, to go undercover in the hero course. Maybe in the beginning it was because I was the only member of the League who could pass the exam, but now I think he saw in me what I saw in him. Heroic potential. And as time went on, I realized that I couldn't stay with the League and something solidified that.

"During summer break, while the rest of you were enjoying yourselves, I was putting overtime in at the League last year. Deku and I were sent to meet a man known as Overhaul, who was developing ways to erase Quirks for good. He'd already developed serums and bullets to do that, but… he took advantage of a little girl's Quirk. A little girl who was hurt and terrified when Deku and I met her, and Deku refused to let her stay there another day. He went back in the middle of the night when I went back to UA and took her with him back to our apartment. Her name was Eri.

"His desire to become a better person wasn't just because he was a villain or a father to a little girl who deserved so much more than she had. It was because he remembered the reason he wanted to be a hero as a child—to make the world a better place. And he realized that because of Ochaco, somebody he was only able to meet because he pushed me into the hero program. How much he impacted my life can't be put into words, despite him only being in it for a short time. But I can say who he was, without a doubt.

"Izuku Midoriya, a Quirkless boy who was tormented daily. Deku, a villain who had more strategic plans than anybody else. My best friend, who kept me from falling into darkness. Inko's son, who cared about her and kept watch even when she was moving on from him. Ochaco's boyfriend, who loved her to the very end. Eri's father, who raised her better than any adult despite basically being a child himself. But above all else, he was a hero who lost his life to save people he barely knew and some he hated. So… goodbye, Izuku. Deku. No matter what you wanted to be called in life, you won't be forgotten by any name."

There wasn't a dry eye in the room. Iida applauded her, sniffing and attempting to hold back the tears while failing miserably. Eri rushed forward and hugged her aunt around the legs.

"Dammit, Deku," Bakugo said hoarsely. "You died before I could apologize for everything I did to you when we were kids. I'm so sorry for everything. It was guilt over you that kept me from reaching my potential at first, and now… how am I supposed to move on when you don't even know how sorry I am?"

"You keep moving, Kacchan."

Everyone whipped around to see Deku in the doorway. His arm was in a cast and he leaned against a crutch that was under his arm. He had even more bandages than Kazumi, but he was alive. Izuku Midoriya was alive.

Nobody moved or said a word.

"PAPA!" screamed Eri, running straight towards him. He was almost knocked over by the sheer force of her rush, but he managed to hold himself up by leaning on a nearby wall.

"Hey, Eri." His eyes went to Kazumi, who had stumbled into Ochaco in her shock. "Nice speech, Kazumi. You always said you were terrible with words—"

He was suddenly soaked from head to toe.

"Thanks for letting us know you were alive, jackass!" Kazumi screeched, hair steaming from her anger.

"In my defense, I didn't wake up until yesterday and All-Might wouldn't give me my phone. He's been telling me everything that's happened since I lost consciousness."

"Papa, come sit down!" Eri tugged on his arm and Izuku limped after his daughter, sitting down where she'd directed him to once she'd kicked Kirishima off the couch.

"Sorry, Kirishima," he chuckled. "Eri can be awfully demanding…"

"No worries. You came back from the freaking _dead_! I can give up couch space for a little while."

"I'm surprised the media didn't even consider that they were alive," piped up Hagakure.

"Are you kidding me?! The media's been obsessed with the 'Lost Todoroki' for the past two weeks!" snorted Kaminari.

" 'Lost Todoroki'?" Izuku repeated.

"Present," Kazumi called.

"Wait, what?!"

"Yeah, turns out that I'm Shoto's twin sister and Endeavor abandoned me because my Quirk wasn't fire or ice. But at least now me being able to heat up the water I use makes sense."

Everyone started talking at once and Izuku got swept up.

* * *

Later, he was lying on the couch while everyone else was heading off to bed. Despite there being extra rooms, he didn't feel right taking one.

_I'm not a UA student._

The truth of it hit him like a ton of bricks.

_I'm only on campus now because All-Might dropped me off. And I can't believe he…_

_ "Young Midoriya, I misjudged you that day we met."_

_ "How so?"_

_ "I told you you couldn't be a hero. I was wrong. The truth is, you already had almost everything you needed that day. All you were missing was a Quirk and I had the answer. But I was an idiot."_

_ "What are you saying?"_

_ "Izuku Midoriya. Formerly known as the villain Deku. I would like you to inherit my Quirk."_

All-Might wanted Izuku to be his successor. Quirkless Izuku. A former villain. Somebody who had almost _died_. And All-Might had chosen him.

"Deku?"

He sat up at the sound of a familiar voice and looked to see Ochaco.

"Uravity…"

"I thought we were on a first-name basis now."

"O-oh! Sorry!" His face heated up. "Sorry, I'm so stupid…"

"N-no, it's fine. Can… can we talk?"

"Sure."

"Hold on a second."

She crossed the room to him and pressed her fingers against his arm, making him float behind her.

"Now you can come with me."

She brought him along with her upstairs, to her room, and closed the door before releasing him onto her bed.

"I missed you, Deku."

"I missed you, too." He gripped the comforter beneath his hands. "I'm so sorry. I… I hurt you. Badly. Even before I almost died, I just said goodbye and left you."

"To be fair, I left you first." She shook her head. "But that's in the past. I was wondering if you wanted to start over?"

"Start over?"

"Be a couple again. Besides." She grinned. "Eri needs her papa _and_ her mama, doesn't she?"

"S-she calls you Mama?"

"You talked about me so much with her back home that she's decided I'm her mother and I've been taking that seriously."

"We're a couple of high-schoolers who've adopted a six-year-old girl as our daughter and nobody finds it weird. What _are_ our lives?"

"Insanity." She hugged him and he clutched her tightly back. Then, he pulled her in closer and pressed his lips against hers, ever so gently. This was different from their previous kiss. Neither of them were dying and it was more gentle, less needy. Full of love and affection.

"God…" he whispered as they pulled apart. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too."

They were interrupted when the door opened to reveal Eri, looking extremely scared as she ran across the room.

"Papa, I had a nightmare," she said, sniffing. Ochaco pulled off of her ex (ex) boyfriend and allowed their adopted daughter to climb onto the bed and bury her face in her father's shoulder.

"Was it about Chisaki again?"

"Mm-hmm."

"He's gone, Eri. He can't hurt you anymore."

"Yeah, but…" She bit her lip, then met his eyes. "Can you and Mama sleep with me tonight? Auntie Kazumi's being fussed over by Uncle Shoto and he won't let her leave his sight…"

"That doesn't _sound_ like Todoroki," Ochaco remarked.

"He said he lost his twin once and it won't happen again."

"Ah."

Needless to say, Kazumi was the person who found the three the next morning. They were curled up in Ochaco's bed, Izuku and Ochaco forming a protective barrier around Eri, who was still fast asleep. Todoroki was right behind her and he couldn't help but smile at the sight himself.

It was so stinking cute. Kazumi pulled out her phone and took a picture to save for Ochaco and Izuku's wedding day.

Hey. They all knew it was coming.

And Kazumi would be there. Nothing would keep her away.

* * *

**And DONE!**

** That being said, I'm considering doing a sequel for this story already. Instead of being a story like this one, the sequel will instead be a series of one-shots revolving around Kazumi, Deku, Ochaco, and anybody else you wanna toss in there.**

** I'm also considering an AU where instead of being found by All For One, Kazumi is adopted by Inko as a very young child and grows up alongside Izuku as his sister. In this AU, she ends up becoming Bakugo's rival instead of Izuku because she defends her brother to hell and back. If you want to see this, be sure to let me know!**

**Oh, and this is the longest chapter. Over 4,500 words, not including author's notes. I checked.**

** I hope you all enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

** So long and thanks for all the fish!**


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